Here’s your first look at The Fits, winner of 2014/15 Biennale College – Cinema world premiering at the 72. Venice International Film Festival. The film is directed by Anna Rose Holmer, produced by Lisa Kjerulff, and stars Royalty Hightower (Toni), Alexis Neblett (Beezy), Makyla Burnam (Legs), Inayah Rodgers (Karisma), Lauren Gibson (Maia) and Da’Sean Minor (Jermaine).

Here’s the full synopsis:

Toni, a tomboyish boxer, lands a spot on an after-school drill team in the West End community of Cincinnati. She eagerly absorbs routines, masters drills, and even pierces her own ears to fit in. It’s the joy of her first friendships and her discovery of dance. Shortly after Toni joins the team, most of the girls on the team suffer from episodes of fainting, swooning, and shaking in a seemingly uncontrollable catharsis. Nobody can explain the mysterious outbreak. These fits soon transform into a rite of passage as the trauma draws the other girls closer together. Caught between her need for control and her desire for acceptance, Toni must decide how far she will go to embody her new ideals.

Here’s the screening schedule (all in Sala Casinò):

- Friday Sept 4, 11.15am (Press/Industry)
- Friday Sept 4, 6.00pm (Premiere/All Passes)
- Monday Sept 7, 8.15pm (All Passes)

Stream it online from Sept 4 until Sept 9 on the Venice Sala Web.

Here’s the pressbook: