Boxer, a new feature film by Mitja Okorn, the Polish-based Slovenian director and screenwriter known for his box-office hits Letters to Santa and Planet Single, premiered on Netflix on 11 September.

In the film, young boxer Eryk Kulm escapes communist Poland to chase his dream of becoming a world champion. With only his wife by his side, he faces unexpected challenges and agrees to a life-changing match.

Most of the London scenes were filmed in Bytom, southern Poland, which resembles the UK capital. Additional shooting took place in London for two days, with the rest shot in Warsaw.

"I've always wanted to create a film as a tribute to Scorsese's Goodfellas ... With Boxer, I've achieved that by writing and directing it. Boxing's visual impact and its exploration of rise and fall themes are compelling, and I appreciate sports films for their emotional depth," Okorn told the newspaper Delo.

The film not only tells the story of a boxer but also reflects the experiences of all Polish athletes from the 1980s who escaped communist Poland in search of success and opportunities. Okorn emphasized that at that time, achieving top sports accomplishments was impossible.

Okorn, who has been living in Poland for the last 16 years, has made two successful films there: Letters to Santa was released in 2011 and Planet Single in 2016. He has also directed Life in a Year, starring Cara Delevingne and Jaden Smith.