The 2026 Tribeca Film Festival is shaping up to be a massive event for cinema lovers, and one of the most highly anticipated premieres on the roster is the upcoming sports drama, They Fight.
At the center of They Fight is Walt Manigan (Andre Holland), a boxing savant and reformed ex-convict who is searching for a fresh start. Upon his release from prison, Walt returns home fiercely determined to rebuild his family and reconnect with the love of his life, Ketta (Samira Wiley).
Walt’s path to redemption eventually leads him to a boxing gym tucked inside a Washington, D.C. youth recreation center that is facing imminent closure. It is here that he finds a new sense of purpose. Working under the guidance of the gym’s wise veteran, Coach Slim (Wendell Pierce), Walt takes on the daunting task of mentoring a ragtag team of adolescent boys as they train for the highly competitive junior national boxing tournament.
The intense training and mentorship ultimately lead to a dramatic and emotional climax: a showdown between two best friends, Quincey (Toussaint Francois Battiste) and Peanut (Anthony B. Jenkins). The young fighters are forced to put their bond to the test in the ring as they battle each other for a single, life-changing spot on the U.S. Junior Olympic Team. The film’s ensemble is also rounded out by Mykelti Williamson.
They Fight is directed by Sheldon Candis and co-written by Candis and Andrew Renzi, based on Renzi’s critically acclaimed 2018 documentary of the same name.
They Fight is officially set to make its premiere this June at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
