Halle Berry attends Tyler Perry Studios grand opening gala October 05, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. | Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Tyler Perry Studios
The UFC fight film will have its official debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September.
Had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic, it is possible Halle Berry’s directorial debut Bruised would have already had its premiere. As it is, plans for the film were only settled last month. It will be screened for the first time at a scaled-down Toronto Film Festival, to be held this September.
Normally, the festival offers 300-400 feature films. The 2020 edition will only see 50 movies screened. Berry took to her Instagram to thank the festival for their selection of Bruised, saying, “Thank you @tiff_net for this wonderful acknowledgement! A special thank you to my unbelievable cast and crew, team of producers and the @ufc!,”
Berry returned to her Instagram to release the first official still from the shoot. The photo shows the Oscar winning actress as disgraced UFC fighter Jackie Justice, a veteran trying to make her comeback—and win back her son.
When speaking to Bloody Elbow, screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb laughed when asked if the sweet-natured Berry could make a convincing MMA fighter. Rosenfarb, who was on set with Berry, said, “Just you wait.”
Her words have been backed up UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who has praised Berry’s abilities, even going so far as to say she would be competition for women currently fighting in the UFC. The champion added, “She has the skills and level, and you will see it when the movie is released.”
That premiere date is now known, and MMA fans have now gotten their first look at Jackie Justice.