Laura Asherman and her team are completing The Weight of Armor, a feature documentary set in the high-stakes world of medieval armored combat. The film follows Nashville Armored Combat (NAC)—the nation’s only gender-inclusive gym—and its founder, Kelsey Leta, a world-class fighter who created a rare sanctuary for gender-expansive athletes. As Kelsey battles to keep NAC alive, her mentee Maggie Ryan prepares for a historic fight against the only other trans-femme armored combatant in the U.S. Their stories reveal the emotional and financial toll of maintaining safe spaces in a sport still dominated by cis men, confronting what it takes to belong—and to fight for others' right to do the same.
