Center Street Rising Trailer

SYNOPSIS: An inner city boxing club in Santa Ana changes young lives, countering a destructive influence of gangs, crowded schools, poverty and blight.

Filmed in Cinema Verite, Center Street Rising focuses on local volunteers whose dedication enriches the lives of disenfranchised youth in one of the worst areas of Santa Ana, Ca. Founder John Raya, Director Mary Lara, and Head Trainer Hector Lopez, enlist help from local parents and open a neighborhood boxing club in a small warehouse on a shoe-string budget. Determined to make a difference and take back their community from the influence of local gangs, they offer young men and women the chance to learn the art of boxing, acquire discipline, and make lasting friendships in a challenging, safe environment.

Center Street Rising documents how the volunteers have struggled against adversity and financial hardships to keep the club open to all at-risk youth. With footage both inside the ring and out, the film unravels the unique stories of four young men whose lives have been changed by their involvement with the TKO Boxing Club. It focuses on the stories of success and sometimes defeat that have been permanently etched into their futures.

The Club has produced over ten national champions and two pre-Olympic champions in only a few short years. It is a testament of empowerment as it shows how on a community level, people really can make a difference.