MONTREAL—AVN Hall of Famer Dana Vespoli steers all-girl studio Sweetheart Video into dramatic waters with her new directing and starring vehicle Lefty, out today through Mile High Media.
Set in the world of women's boxing, the movie finds Vespoli playing Linda "Lefty" Lumaban, an undefeated boxing champion who abandoned her career at the top of her game, leaving behind fame, fortune and a beautiful girlfriend. Bree Daniels co-stars as Erin, a journalist who tracks down Lefty to see if she has any plans of making a comeback. On her quest, Erin interviews Lefty's ex-girlfriend, Alexis Texas (playing herself), discovers dark secrets about the boxer's past, and finally comes face-to-face with her subject in a climactic ending.
"As anyone who follows me on social media knows, I am a huge boxing fanatic, and have been training and watching fights for a while," Vespoli said. "I had watched Raging Bull, the Rocky movies and then the Antoine Fuqua movie Southpaw, as well as several boxing documentaries. I was fascinated at how most of these fighters had come from difficult circumstances, and boxing, as brutal of a sport as it may be, was nothing compared to the day-to-day struggle of growing up in poverty, and/or victims of abuse. Boxing was a way out, or a way to provide for their families, as was the case with Manny Pacquiao. In a lot of ways, these boxing stories are quintessential American Dream stories, and I wanted to create a story like that for a female boxer.
"Lefty is inspired in part by Mike Tyson's relationship with Cus D'Amato, his coach who was a father figure to him," Vespoli continued, "and Manny Pacquiao, who came from poverty in the Philippines. Lefty is also a celebration of women in combat sports now being billed as the main event in the UFC."
Joining Vespoli, Daniels and Texas in the cast of Lefty are Julia Ann, Dani Daniels and A.J. Applegate.
"I wrote the script with Alexis Texas in mind as Lefty's girlfriend, because Alexis is a huge star, and I loved the idea of Alexis playing herself in a fictional movie as the lesbian boxing champ's girlfriend," Vespoli noted. "I also wrote the script with Bree Daniels in mind as the journalist, because Bree is a committed actress and performer, and just mesmerizing to watch. She has been my muse for a long time. Julia Ann is spectacular as Bree's arrogant lover, and A.J. Applegate and Dani do an amazing job with Alexis in a steamy, big booty three-way. James Avalon makes a great cameo as Sully, Lefty's coach. It was a dream to be able to shoot this project."
Commented Mile High vice president Jon Blitt, "When Dana first pitched us on this movie, we could tell she was deeply passionate about the project. Mile High is always willing to invest in porn that digs deeper than the surface of sex, providing a compelling story, which captivates viewers. Lefty is an amazing film, and I know fans and critics will be blown away."
Fans of Sweetheart Video can find information about the studio via the Mile High Twitter page, the Sweetheart Twitter page and the Sweetheart Facebook page.
