First Match (2018)Movies

First Match is writer-director Olivia Newman’s (Where the Crawdads Sing) first feature-length movie, based on her short film from 2010. Monique (Elvire Emanuelle), a hardened foster care teen, runs into her father (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) after he’s released from prison. In an attempt to win his attention and get out of the foster care system, Monique joins her Brooklyn high school wrestling team. First Match was featured at the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival, winning the Audience Award.