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Columbus Filmmaker: Chris Bournea

Chris Bournea, discusses his documentary Lady Wrestler and the research that went into discovering their story.

Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring is a documentary that chronicles the stories of Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson, Marva Scott, Ramona Isbell and dozens of other women who braved racism and sexism to succeed in the male-dominated world of professional wrestling during the sport's golden age in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. These courageous women raised families while blazing a trail for female athletes long before many of the breakthroughs of the civil rights and feminist movements. Columbus journalist, author and documentary filmmaker, Chris Bournea, will share insight on his discovery of these remarkable women – many of whom were based and trained in Columbus during the sport’s golden age – sharing clips from the documentary and taking questions from the audience. A full screening of Lady Wrestler is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, March 2 (see below for additional details).

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