Ama Qamata is taking on one of the most demanding roles of her career, both in front of and behind the camera. The award-winning actress, born in Cala, a village in the Eastern Cape, stars in the internationally acclaimed African drama Fight Like a Girl, while also serving as the film’s co-producer.
For Qamata, the project represents an important new chapter in her career, allowing her to not only inhabit a complex character but also have a voice in shaping the story and how it reaches audiences.
“There’s a beauty, obviously, in telling the story in front of the camera, but getting to be behind the camera and making certain decisions, like, what is the best thing for the movie? How are we going to get people to watch the movie?” Qamata told Sunday World.
In Fight Like a Girl, Qamata takes on the role of Safi, a young Congolese woman who escapes forced labour at an illegal mineral mine and begins rebuilding her life after joining an all-women’s boxing club in Goma. Through boxing, she discovers healing, confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
The film is inspired by a real-life women’s boxing club that filmmakers documented for more than five years.
For Qamata, taking on the role was an opportunity to show her range as an actress and to move away from being typecast. In her previous projects, Blood & Water and Gomora, audiences had become accustomed to seeing her play teenage roles.
“I liked the challenge the script presented. I could just see that this was going to make me a different performer. I had never done anything like this.”
The role demanded a significant physical and emotional commitment from the actress – so much that Qamata admits she struggled during production and even considered quitting. “I don’t think I’ve ever done anything that difficult in my life, but it was so rewarding at the same time. I would not change that experience for anything.”
Qamata says the movie also presents the stories of people directly affected by the headline-grabbing conflict.
“We get to see the numbers; we get to see the disasters and stuff that happen, but in the middle of the turmoil are actual people who live a life, have friendships and fall in love,” she said.
Qamata’s dual role as actress and co-producer has also changed how she understands filmmaking. This new awareness and the greater responsibility that comes with being behind the camera have sparked a deeper desire to be more involved in storytelling. “One of the things you learn as a producer is actually what it takes not only to make a film, but also, once the product is finished, how are we going to get people to see it?”
Fight Like a Girl will be shown at Ster-Kinekor Sandton in Johannesburg on August 19, followed by another screening at Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on August 26.
The screenings are presented as part of a collaboration between Ster-Kinekor and Women for Change.
The screenings will form part of a broader conversation around celebrating women, amplifying their voices and confronting gender-based violence and femicide. Qamata is lending her voice to the cause, with the intention of encouraging inclusive dialogues between men and women on how to find each other amid the noise.
She also believes that the inclusion of men is crucial so that they also see themselves as part of the discussion around gender-based violence and women’s empowerment.
The film has already earned significant international recognition. Qamata won the Rising Star Award at the Naples International Film Festival and received a Best Actress nomination at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. Fight Like a Girl received eight Africa Movie Academy Award nominations and won Best Original Score.
- Ama Qamata stars as Safi and co-produces the film Fight Like a Girl, which tells the story of a young Congolese woman escaping forced labour and finding purpose through women's boxing.
- The film is inspired by a real-life women's boxing club documented by filmmakers over more than five years.
- Qamata took on the role to challenge her previous typecasting and found it physically and emotionally demanding, even considering quitting during production.
- Fight Like a Girl will be screened at Ster-Kinekor Sandton on August 19 and Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront on August 26, in collaboration with Women for Change to address gender-based violence and female empowerment.
- The film and Qamata have received international acclaim, with Qamata winning the Rising Star Award at the Naples International Film Festival and the film earning eight Africa Movie Academy Award nominations.
