Coming to film festivals in 2026 is a short film titled Marcel’s Promise, starring former two-division world champion Junior Jones portraying Alfonso Teofilo Brown, better known as Panama Al Brown.
The short film, which begins production today, is led by award-winning journalist Jose Corpas, who is listed as one of the producers. The film will be directed by Neil Pellone and will feature appearances by singer Samantha Echo, who portrays the enigmatic folk singer Connie Converse, and podcast host and journalist Broadway Joel, who plays a young Piri Thomas, the best-selling author.
Here’s a synopsis of the short film based on the press release, which focuses on the friendship between Panama Al Brown and Marcel Cerdan.
“Set in 1949 and inspired by true events, the short film is a fictionalized mashup of Harlem residents with big dreams. Running just under 30 minutes, it will be co-produced by Corpas, Pellone, and Joseph Medina (Nueba Yol & In Search of a Dream).”
The release also mentions that “production is expected to be completed before February 2026 at which time it is expected to make the film festival rounds. Also slated to appear in the film is local boxing icon Iran Barkley.”
The Panamanian Brown, who died on April 11, 1951, was regarded as one of the greatest bantamweight fighters in boxing’s rich history, with a record of 128-19-12 and 59 knockouts. One of the highlights of his career was winning the Ring Magazine title in 1931 against Pete Sanstol.
Any updates on the short film will be shared by @toughtonyteam and @corpaswriter on Instagram.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
