2019 Short Film Programme
Our short film line-up for 2019.
Duchess
Keir Siewert | 2019 | English | Action | 11 mins
A female Mixed Martial Artist squares off against an obnoxious male fighter from her gym. She soon discovers it is not as simple as one fighter versus another, as a literal battle of the sexes unfolds in the cage.
Whirlpool
Brian Stynes | 2018 | English | Action | 17 mins
Jimmy has a disability but pushes himself to the limit, taking several martial arts classes a week, what he's really doing is ignoring his widowed father's deteriorating mental faculties. He knows that he must inevitably go where the current is leading and step up and take responsibility.
Tiger Claw
James Cotton | 2019 | English | Action | 12 mins
A trio of kung fu enthusiasts are on their way to a regional tournament, when they witness a small-scale jewellery heist and are faced with the decision of whether to fight for the Golden Dragon Trophy or fight for justice...
KOAN
Omar Rabuñal Varela, Daniel Viqueira | 2018 | Galician | Action | 14 mins
Koan is a story of revenge, consciousness and metacinema in a eternal loop
Ichi-Jinn
Mika Abe | 2019 | Japanese, English | Drama | 10 mins
Two souls that have crossed time and intersected on countless occasions engage in a fight to the death, while one man tries to stop this endless loop of fighting. The battle that decides all is about to take place - will the prayers that the origami crane holds within be answered?
Budokai-Do
A’an Yayak | 2018 | English | Action | 4 mins
The soulbending journey of a Budokai-do master that experiences his dreams and experiences while reflecting upon reality
The Kid
Nicholas Wenger | 2018 | English | Action | 5 mins
A woman and young boy are chased through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Battered and exhausted, they protect something highly valuable and extremely dangerous.
Fight Back
Loren Trabelsi | 2019 | Hebrew | Drama | 18 mins
A teenage girl boxer gets into relationship with a guy from her group, when everything starts getting out of hand.
The Misadventures of Lefty Deadeye
Marco Sinigaglia | 2019 | Japanese, English | Action, Comedy | 3 mins
Lefty is coming for the bag. The only thing in his way is the infamous Mt. Ikufuji Gang. They messed with the wrong puppet!
Every Time
Mauro Zingarelli | 2019 | Italian | Action | 6 mins
12 bombs are about to explode, one man is running to defuse them. Time is an unstoppable enemy.
No Way Out
Max Huang | 2018 | German | Action Thriller | 18 mins
An ex criminal gets hired by the police to work undercover inside a drug cartel, but when he saves a little girl, he blows his cover.
Oregu
Marina Ivaniceva | 2018 | Russian | Documentary | 9mins
The subject of this poetic documentary is a physical and spiritual journey of Olegs Regzdins, who fully immersed himself in Japanese culture and dedicated the most of his life to learning and perfecting martial arts. The story will get to the very essence of Oleg's special interest in Budo, as well as tell the audience more about the mysteries of iaido, karate and Japanese philosophy from a perspective of an ordinary, middle-aged Latvian man.
Ronin
John Do | 2018 | Japanese | Action | 7 mins
A wandering, lone samurai warrior, Toshiro Kuroda, exhausted by his journey and dehydration, is confronted by another samurai. The samurai challenges Toshiro to a duel and he obliges until it is revealed that the samurai is his Shishou (master).
Fear of the Lotus
Patricia García Buenaventura | 2018 | English | Comedy | 10 mins
Following Yuki home from her first day at a new school, her classmate, Mike, joins her and tries to talk to her about his superhero fantasies. Unexpectedly they meet a group of bullies. There’s something about Yuki that will make the bullies regret jumping Mike.
Sensei Fran Kicks Ass
Simone Fary | 2019 | English | Documentary | 19 mins
Sensei Fran Kicks Ass is the story of one woman’s pursuit to redefine what it means to age. Eighty year old Fran Vall is a master teacher of two Japanese martial arts, as well as skiing and snowboarding. She lives a very active life guided by her Jewish faith and quest to never stop learning.
Wildflower
Jumai Yusuf | 2019 | English | Sci-Fi | 6mins
In a dystopian future where racist white fear is weaponised, a young warrior must find the courage to lead her community.
Loyalty
Grant Snaith, Simon Giles-Rowling | 2018 | Action | 5 mins
A Samurai short film that tells the tale of a young apprentice who is taken into training by a Warrior Lord. A relationship blossoms between the two, but one that the young apprentice is not comfortable nor accustomed to.
Years later the apprentice is back for blood and revenge on his former master.
Mad Lord - Samurai of 1000 deaths
Samuel Smith | 2019 | English | Drama | 25 mins
When a great samurai Lord loses his mind, his beloved concubine tasks General Ekei with finding a cure. The General returns from his mission with more than just medicine, he brings evidence of treachery, witchcraft and betrayal.
Dead End II: A Justified Kill
Bryan Larkin, Carter Ferguson | 2019 | English, Chinese | Thriller | 25 mins
Two contract killers target a human trafficking ring in Macau. When their next job takes them to Hong Kong, a young girl is drawn into a brutal and blood battle in the murky backstreets of Mong Kok, and this changes the path of her fate.
Shoguns of Gymbox
Michael Hoad | 2019 | English | Comedy | 9 mins
Disciples of a narcissistic Karate master spend their nights bullying and terrorising members of a London Gymbox. Things become interesting when they mess with the wrong group of girls.
Agent Wu - The Script
Kai Jansen | 2019 | German, English | Action | 14 mins
Wilhelm Arndt, the owner of a small shop on the south coast of England, dreams of becoming a famous writer. With his novel "Agent Wu" he hopes for a breakthrough. But he receives only refusals for his story of a German agent, who set himself the task of fighting a mafia boss, Kazim. Wilhelm does not allow himself to be depressed by rejection; on the contrary, he draws new inspiration and expands his stories about Agent Wu.
The Memory of Ink
Mark Kamara | 2019 | Chinese, English | Action | 10 mins
Unwillingly being watched by a secret underground organisation, Lin goes about her evening in Chinatown as the world whizzes by her. Leaving from work late at night, Lin is confronted by a shady man - a chase breaks out as she tries to escape. On entering a derelict building, Lin becomes surrounded, forcing her to face her enemies on in a dramatic showdown.
10 Minutes For a Pound
Jadey Duffield, Linda Louise Duan | 2019 | English | Action, Comedy | 7 mins
Pressures of life, combined with a spilt coffee, causes all hell to break loose at the laundromat.
Kiwami: The Finale
Jon Alagoa | 2019 | English | Action | 20mins
The final chapter in Leon's battle across London. With his enemies located, he follows his friends into the final confrontation.
Inspired by the Yakuza series by SEGA.
Second Breath
Jean-Philippe Nadeau-Marcoux, Maxime Laurin | 2019 | English/French | Documentary | 3mins
This poetic documentary illustrates the fight for the survival of French in Louisiana.
Out of Competition
martial club
Martial Club | 2016 | English| Action | 7mins
An argument in the park between a group of friends turn into a full on Kung Fu Fight