British boxer, model and activist Ramla Ali and producer Richard Moore stepped into Deadline’s Red Sea Studio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to talk about In the Shadows, the upcoming biopic about Ali, which has been seven years in the making. The duo also shed some light on their newly launched, Saudi-backed production company 786 Entertainment.
Ali, an Olympic boxer who moved to the UK in 1989 as a refugee from the Somali Civil War, and Moore have been exec producers on In the Shadows, a feature film that has been produced by The Favourite producer Lee Magiday and Madeline Sanderson, the former of whom is an old business partner of Moore’s.
“I competed in the Olympics in Tokyo and the number of female athletes that were representing Saudi Arabia was incredible,” said Ali. “And I think [In the Shadows] might resonate with them. Growing up, me doing boxing, it was not something that my family were really supportive or into and I’m sure a lot of women in this region can relate to it.”
Watch on Deadline
Ali said that the experience of “being on the set of the film ignited a passion for me to tell more minority-led storylines and female-led storylines.”
Moore, who is also Ali’s husband, manager and former coach, added that the pair “were fortunate enough to be involved in every step of that process from development of the script to production, casting and now marketing and distribution. I didn’t expect Ramla to enjoy it as much as much as she did because making films is quite tough.”
Ali remarked on the parallels between shooting an independent film and the boxing world: “The one thing I enjoyed was the amount of hard work and dedication that you put into film is the same level of hard work and dedication that I have to put into my sport so the skills for me being on set were easily transferable because I had that discipline from such a young age of being a professional athlete and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much.”
786 Entertainment is backed by Saudi Prince Faisal Al Saud and the Saudi-owned Vainqueur Family Group, which is headed up by Prince Faisal’s business partner Bilal Nasser. Ali and Moore have a “big connection” to KSA as Ali was the first female boxer to fight in a professional match in the country.
The company will have its headquarters in London but is also planning to open a production office in Jeddah, with an eye to foster local talent.
Check out the full interview above.