(MAR 26)  The 2016 Freep Film Festival kicks off this Thursday at 7 p.m. with the Detroit debut of "T-Rex" in the DFT.

"T-Rex” chronicles the journey of Flint’s Claressa (T-Rex) Shields as she pursues her goal of winning the gold in women’s boxing at the 2012 London Olympics. 

Detroit Press reports the following:  The film will screen at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute Arts. Shields is scheduled to attend the screening, the film's metro Detroit premiere.

Freep Film Festival is partnering with the Detroit Bus Company to get youth boxers from Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym to the DIA so they can see the movie for free and participate in the after-film programming.In the movie, directors Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper go behind the scenes to give a realistic portrayal of the challenges Shields faces, both as a rising star in a sport being featured in its first Olympics and as someone trying not to let her family’s problems affect her focus.

 “T-Rex” has been screened at numerous festivals, including the SXSW Film Festival and the Hot Docs film festival. It took home the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Roger Ebert Prize for best film by a first-time filmmaker at the Traverse City Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Shields is working to qualify for the chance to defend her Olympic gold in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

After the film Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley leads a discussion with Olympic gold-medal boxer Claressa Shields, director Zackary Canepari and participants in the Detroit Boxing Gym Youth Program.