We have a directors double bill on this episode of the Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast, featuring conversations with two filmmakers who have both released independent martial arts movies in 2023.
Froukje Tan is a Dutch filmmaker who specialises in telling family-orientated stories which are accessible to all. Her new film - her first in the directors' chair for over a decade - combines her knowledge of child development and the martial arts, herself being a long-time practitioner of southern style kung fu. Set in her home city of Rotterdam, 'Kung Fu Leeuw' - aka 'Kung Fu Lion' - tells the story of two troubled teenage boys who are brought together by their sifu (played by kung fu movie star Lau Kar-yung) to perform the traditional Chinese lion dance. The film received rave reviews following its release in February 2023 in the Netherlands, and it continues to be screened at film festivals around the world, including the Fighting Spirit Film Festival in London, where it received its UK premiere in September. It will also be screened as part of the International Kids Film Festival which runs from 14-30 November across India, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Another martial arts film screened at this year's Fighting Spirit Film Festival was 'Walid', a Malaysian action movie focusing on the horrific crime of human trafficking. It is the second directorial effort from filmmaker Areel Abu Bakar, who launched onto the Malaysian martial arts scene in 2019 with his great Silat film, 'The Deed of Death'. The title character of Walid (played by Megat Sharizal) is a kind teacher who transforms into all-out super-killer when one of his pupils - an illiterate immigrant girl - is kidnapped and sold into the child sex trade. Bakar - himself a Silat practitioner - once again calls upon his many training buddies to help deliver punishing, violent action scenes which have been stunning - and surprising - audiences around the world following its world premiere in New York in July 2023. The film is scheduled for a wider online release in December 2023.
LINKS
Froukje Tan on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1717961/
Froukje Tan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/froukjetan/
Froukje Tan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/froukjetan/
'Kung Fu Lion' trailer: https://youtu.be/R4TYRYrvB1M
'Kung Fu Lion' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/kung-fu-lion-2023/
International Kids Film Festival, 14-30 November: https://www.ikff.in/
'Steam' short film, directed by Pau Han-kho: https://youtu.be/uRLH8JTbqCs?si=T4xg_82noWilmlqS
Areel Abu Bakar on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4702675/
'Walid' trailer: https://youtu.be/U8DJQDOmhzU
'Walid' page on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filemwalid/
'Walid' page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FilemWalid
Layar Pictures YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@layarpicturessdnbhd7468
'Walid' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/walid-2023/
'The Deed of Death' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://kungfumovieguide.com/the-deed-of-death-2019/
For more details about the 2023 Fighting Spirit Film Festival, visit https://www.fightingspiritfilmfestival.com/.
Listen to Ben Johnson on Episode 137 of the SpyHards Podcast, 'Enter the Dragon' special: https://www.spyhards.com/e/137-enter-the-dragon-1973/
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