Jambone Pictures is proud to announce that The Ballad of Gia and Frankie, a professional wrestling documentary about an LGBTQ+ wrestler, and their trials and tribulations, has been selected by eighteen Global Independent Film Festivals.

According to the press release, a protagonist, an anti-hero, and a courageous individual persevered through various obstacles. The documentary is composed of several home videos, which tell the story of Gia Savitz, a wrestler with aspirations of making it to the “Big Time.” The documentary also uncovers Gia’s strange and hostile encounters with his most bitter rival, Frankie Firestarter. Their disturbing saga stretched beyond the wrestling industry and unfolded over 11 months until the mysterious disappearance of Frankie.

Executive Producer and Director J.V. Ambrose expressed, “In late 2019, we uncovered footage, unlike anything we had seen before. We felt compelled to tell this story of Gia Savitz and shed some light on the enormous hurdles that a professional wrestler must overcome to make it in the business. While unconventional, this story and footage are shocking audiences around the world, and we hope it will motivate the wrestling industry to become a safer place for wrestlers and fans of any race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.”

After being selected by eighteen film festivals, including the Sweden Film Awards, the Global Indie Film Fest, the Couch Film Festival, and the Sonderblu Film Festival, The Ballad of Gia and Frankie is one of the only pro wrestling documentaries in recent memory to receive such recognition for its raw emotion and innovative storytelling. The documentary will be available to the public this December through a streaming service provider. Learn more about the film and sign up for the latest updates at https://bit.ly/giafrankiedoc.

In June 2004, the documentary started in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Gia’s first show only had three people—having a smaller audience was common for some wrestlers. Even if no one showed up, the wrestlers still performed, like WWE Hall of Famer, Molly Holly’s debut match in an empty venue. WWT contributor Katrina Blake spoke with the associate producer, Justin Ciardullo, to receive more insight into this incredible story.

Gia molded herself into a prototype of the supermodel Gia Carangi, which started to develop a character. Although her gimmick was not believable, she began to face backlash for being a trans woman. As the book highlighted many underhanded stories when wrestling lacked good character development, Savitz took pride in creating a different persona that resonated with her.

Once Frankie Firestarter started bulling Gia, it spearheaded something ugly and became a lot more psychological. Unfortunately, like Gia, the supermodel, Savitz made the same choices and behaved that many promoters did not want to oversee. Those decisions led to a lack of income, and Gia’s last show was in November 2018. This was a show that many attended, such as the wrestler, Hollywood. Ciardullo uttered, “This was a crucial time to tell this story, with wrestling starting to be more inclusive towards those in the LGBT community.”

The Ballad of Gia and Frankie a documentary that people can look forward to, especially those in the LGBT community. Gia was flawed, as every person is, yet this film allows her wonderful personality to warm our hearts. As for the intimidating adversary like Frankie Firestarter, we have come across someone like him in our lives. Gia and Frankie’s anticipated story was released on October 22, 2021 in Brooklyn, New York.