All She Can (Benavides Born)

When you look at Luz Garcia, a beautiful, petite Latina high school senior, you’d think she was a cheerleader, not a competitive weightlifter. Young, strong-willed and driven to succeed may not be enough as her competition mounts and her own personal struggles threatens to overwhelm her.  Benavides Born is a timely story with universal resonance. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called the film, "An entertaining and enlightening drama about a young Mexican-American woman who sees sports as a means to escape her small Texas community."

Director: Amy Wendel

Producer: Daniel Meisel, Susan Kirr

Year: 2011

Festivals: Sundance Film Festival (Premiere)

Links: The Hollywood Reporter Review

 Distributor: Maya Entertainment

Praise:

"Amy Wendel takes the story beyond the cliches of the inspiring sports drama, to explore the dead-end lives trapped in a hard-luck town. Calderon gives a performance loaded with fire and heart, and deserves to become a star." - Sean Means, THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

"[Corina Calderon] stars as a willful South Texas teen gunning to win a powerlifting championship... Festival-goers have been comparing Benavides Born to Girl Fight, which played at Sundance in 2000 and launched Michelle Rodriguez’s career." - Sharon Swart, DEADLINE