Fresh Film's Thomas Kelly Directs the Exhilarating Journey of a Boxer in 'Animal'

Fresh Film director Thomas Kelly has launched a new short film entitled 'Animal'. Fresh Film also produced the project via its office in Thailand. What started as a relatively small idea while pitching for a commercial became much more as the project developed into a short.

The final film presents a portrait of a boxer and, more precisely, the story of a fight he will lose. The lead actor James Chaney is himself a boxer and the narrative focuses on the mental and physical preparation he goes through before a fight - and what happens after. 

The Muay Thai boxing he practices is a particular martial art, sophisticated in staging and at the same time very brutal during the course of the fight. It's visually violent, but the atmosphere surrounding the boxers is fascinating.

The film started as an idea Thomas had while pitching for an advert. The spot was to be produced by Fresh’s Bangkok team, so during preparations for the commercial, he researched the idea of creating a short film that involved boxing. During his search, he came across James Chaney on Facebook.

Fascinated by his story, Thomas managed to capture the whole film in just one day following his commercial shoot. From a small idea grew an ambitious project. However, by pulling together the resources available via Fresh Film, much more was achieved. The result is an intense, exhilarating and yet intimate film.