Fighting Spirit Film Festival, an annual event dedicated to the craft of martial arts cinema, will celebrate its 10th year with an action-packed programme at Hackney Picturehouse next month.
Taking place on 13 and 14 September, audiences will be treated to 34 short films and six feature films, plus the showcase of a new venture called Project Sifu, which Fighting Spirit has described as “a unique pilot initiative based in Sheffield that merges martial arts training with action filmmaking to empower young people through creativity, discipline, and cultural exchange”.
Now well established within the global martial arts and action film community, this year’s festival will kick off on Friday 12 September with a break-fu workshop led by stuntman, filmmaker and martial artist Nathan Geering, teaching a combination of breakdance and martial arts.
Elsewhere during the event, British actor Mark Strange will introduce his latest starring feature Kung Fu Games and take part in a Q&A after the film.
Other feature films showing over the weekend include Gunner, a new action feature directed by Dimitri Logothetis (Kickboxer: Retaliation) and starring Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth, and fan favourite Blade, starring Wesley Snipes.
Hong Kong classic Armour of God 2: Operation Condor will also screen during the event, alongside brand new films Super Courier, described as a modern homage to Hong Kong action cinema from Kazakhstan, and 四十九 – SEEK, a Japanese film fronted by Shane Kosugi, the son of film legend Sho Kosugi.
Tickets are now available on the Fighting Spirit Film Festival website.
