Ramla Ali biopic In The Shadows to premiere next week before world title fight

A biopic about the Olympic boxer Ramla Ali is set to have its world premiere at the London Film Festival next week. The film, In The Shadows, stars BAFTA-winning actor Jasmine Jobson as Ali. It tells the story of a war survivor, refugee, model, activist and champion, and it arrives before Ali's world title fight next month. Boxing biopics are usually made after a fighter has retired, so the timing is unusual.

Ali's life story began in Somalia. As a child, she and her family fled the country and arrived in East London as refugees. She learnt to box while hiding the sport from her strict Muslim parents. She went on to represent her birth country at the Tokyo Olympics. Her career has also included modelling and activism, and she works as a UNICEF ambassador.

Ali has used her public profile to challenge hostile rhetoric about refugees. She said people do not leave their life, house, friends, family and community to come to the UK for £100 a week. They are fleeing war, warlords and terrorism, she said. Claims that they come to scrounge off the government are not true, she added, and she described herself as living proof.

Jobson said she and Ali share a background as council estate children who grew up in rough neighbourhoods. Both had to fight to be seen and heard and to chip away at barriers, she said. They also share a ruthless refusal to quit. Jobson, known for Top Boy, worked three jobs while auditioning before her career took off. For the role, she completed two weeks of intense boxing training, five to six days a week. She said she had street fighting experience but was not a terrible boxer before training, and the preparation turned her into the champion seen on screen.

The film's premiere will take place at the London Film Festival. Its release comes as Ali prepares for a world title fight next month. The pairing of a major screen biopic with an active title campaign gives her story a rare immediacy.