Private Project

The Pugilist

The heartbreaking story of a boxer, Seamus, who is well past his prime now finds himself suffering from brain damage in the form of CTE. In the shadows of his failure, Seamus finds his life of prize-fighting has left him alone and financially ruined and with no one to lean on, and his sole means of survival rests with Brooke, his estranged wife, and her willingness to take pity on the fighter. His legacy is one of tragedy. Dreams leave scars.

Based on the short story "The Gatekeeper", released in the volume of short stories "The Gatekeeper and Other Stories" (2017) and the short film “The Gatekeeper” (2017), and the novel “The Pugilist” coming soon (2019).

"The Gatekeeper and Other Stories" is available at https://www.amazon.com/Gatekeeper-Other-Stories-Jeffrey-Kelley/dp/0995190747/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1502152879&sr=8-6&keywords=jeffrey+kelley

  • Jeffrey Kelley
    Director
    The Gatekeeper, Dirt Road Dead
  • Jeffrey Kelley
    Writer
    The Gatekeeper, FIVE, Frozen Trade,
  • Jeffrey Kelley
    Producer
    The Gatekeeper, FIVE, Frozen Trade,
  • Jeffrey Kelley
    Key Cast
    "Seamus "The Thunder" Logan"
    FIVE, Frozen Trade, The Gatekeeper, Edge Of The Line, End Of Leash
  • Chelsea Johnson
    Key Cast
    "Brooke Logan"
  • Jason Robertson
    Key Cast
    "Jim "Doc" Gregg"
  • Rob Jeffrey
    Key Cast
    "Bruce Hennessey"
    Dirt Road Dead
  • Jon Blizzard
    Key Cast
    "Flynn"
    FIVE, In Search of Laura Fern, Black And White And Dead All Over
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Action
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 22, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jeffrey Kelley

Jeffrey Kelley is both the director and writer of "The Pugilist", the heartbreaking story of a boxer, Seamus, who is well past his prime now finds himself suffering from brain damage in the form of CTE. In the shadows of his failure, Seamus finds his life of prize-fighting has left him alone and financially ruined and with no one to lean on, and his sole means of survival rests with Brooke, his estranged wife, and her willingness to take pity on the fighter. His legacy is one of tragedy.

Prior to directing "The Pugilist", Jeffrey wrote the short story "The Gatekeeper", which was adapted into a short film of the same name. "The Pugilist" is the evolution of that story from a short version into a feature-film exploration. The next phase will be novelizing the project, and it will be Jeffrey's fifth book, his previous works being "A Cathartic Scripture", "The Gatekeeper And Other Stories", "FIVE", and "Distance: Poetry & Critical Essays"

More about Jeffrey's film career can be seen by visiting his IMDb at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6205181/

More about "The Pugilist" can be seen by visiting:
www.thepugilist.ca
or
www.facebook.com/ThePugilistTheMovie

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

It was important to me to tell this story and raise awareness of CTE in a way that does not damage the sport I love. It was also important to do it in a way that was entertaining and relatable for a moviegoing audience. It was not just the sport or the illness, that was needed to reach the audience, but also the characters had to be believable, the protagonist needed to be an underdog the audience could root for, and the emotional resonance needed to be genuine.

Everyone that worked on this project, at all levels, were volunteers who believed in the story, many of them accomplished in film or combat sports. This eclectic mix of supporters, all of whom went the extra mile, gave great strength to a story they believe deserves an audience, and I only hope I have made them proud with what I put out.

Dreams leave scars.