The creative process behind „Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist”

How a fighter channels their own insecurities and fears into success is at the heart of director Marius Markevicius’ compelling new documentary THUG ROSE, which played January 21, 2023 at the 24^th annual Scandinavian Film Festival Los Angeles. Launched in February 2000, the two-weekend festival showcases new and emerging cinema from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Baltic nations Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The story follows American mixed martial artist Rose Namajunas. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Namajunas’ parents emigrated from Lithuania in 1991 following the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Namajunas’ grandfather, Algimantas Andriukonis, was a successful wrestler, and won national championships in Lithuania and competitions in the USSR. Namajunas’ upbringing was far from perfect. Her father, who suffered from schizophrenia, died when Namajunas was 16. She also experienced sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Despite these harrowing events, Namajunas pursued her passion for mixed martial arts and became a two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. As of November 2022, she is ranked the #2 UFC Women’s Strawweight fighter in the world. 

Markevicius’ moving and insight portrayal of Namajunas’ life reveals an athlete who does not run away from fear, but openly dissects it in the hope of understanding more about her and the world at large. It is a unique take on a unique athlete, and one that leaves the viewer completely invested in the subject’s emotions and pursuits.

Markevicius is an award-winning filmmaker and president of Sorrento Productions based in Santa Monica, California. He directed and produced ASHES IN THE SNOW, a 2019 film adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel “Between Shades of Gray.” The film was distributed by Vertical Entertainment, and is the highest-grossing box office film of all-time in Lithuania, the country of production. Markevicius also directed, produced and wrote the documentary feature film THE OTHER DREAM TEAM, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was distributed internationally by Lionsgate and Disney and was nominated for Best Documentary of the Year by the Producer’s Guild of America. Markevicius attended the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate degree and majored in Business Administration at the Haas School of Business. He then attended the University of California Los Angeles for graduate studies, where he received a Master’s Degree in fine arts from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Markevicius about the production of THUG ROSE.

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