Christy, the Sydney Sweeney-Ben Foster movie about boxing legend Christy Martin, will serve as the inaugural U.S. theatrical release for Black Bear‘s new U.S. theatrical distribution arm. The pic will hit theaters nationwide on Nov. 7 in time for awards season. The movie world premieres tom’w at TIFF at 2PM at the Princess of Wales.
Heading into the festival today, Christy, was positioned as one of TIFF’s hottest acquisition titles with Black Bear, UTA Independent Group and AC Independent handling U.S. Black Bear, I hear, believes in the movie a great deal as a commercial play and will be getting behind Sweeney in a push for Best Actress this awards season.
The biopic is directed by Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner David Michôd.
“We’re thrilled about the upcoming release of Christy, a moving portrait of resilience and defiance from visionary filmmaker David Michôd,” said Black Bear President of U.S. Distribution Benjamin Kramer. “Led by Sydney Sweeney’s masterful transformation into the iconic Christy, capturing a young woman’s fierce determination to define her own destiny, the film is elevated by Michôd’s elegant direction and enriched by an electric supporting turn from Ben Foster. Both tender and unflinching, Christy is a celebration of persistence, humor, and humanity in the face of unexpected turns. We cannot wait to share it with audiences across the country.”
Michôd co-wrote the screenplay with acclaimed filmmaker Mirrah Foulkes, from a story by Katherine Fugate. Sweeney plays the titular Christy Martin, who never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Foster). But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it, as she confronts family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy is a story of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life. The film is Black Bear’s second collaboration with Sweeney, who previously starred in the studio’s horror hit Immaculate, which NEON released domestically.
Christy was produced by Black Bear, Anonymous Content, Votiv, Fifty-Fifty Films, and Yoki. Producers are Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman, Votiv’s Brent Stiefel and Justin Lothrop, Michôd, and Sweeney. Executive Producers include Black Bear’s Michael Heimler, John Friedberg, Andrew Golov, and Clementine Quittner, Anonymous Content’s David Levine and Nick Shumaker, as well as Mirrah Foulkes, Harrison Huffman, Brad Zimmerman, and Ryan Schwartz.
UTA Independent Film Group and AC Independent negotiated the deal with Black Bear on behalf of the filmmaking team. Black Bear is handling international rights and will theatrically release the film in the UK and Ireland.
Launched in July 2025, Black Bear’s U.S. distribution arm expands its multinational theatrical business—already an industry leader in the U.K., Ireland, and Canada, where subsidiary Elevation Pictures is the top independent theatrical distributor. Led by President Benjamin Kramer and Head of U.S. Theatrical Distribution David Spitz, the new division will theatrically release a curated slate of up to 12 films per year, blending filmmaker-driven fare with wide-release action and genre films.
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