Company: Flying Carp Productions
Country: USA
Section: DOCUMENTARY – GREAT CHAMPION
Discipline: Judo
Year: 2012
Director: Yuriko Gamo Romer
Editing: Yuriko Gamo Romer
Photography: Monica Lam, Emily Taguchi
Soundtrack: Mark Izu
Producer: Yuriko Gamo Romer
CoProducer: Marc Smolowitz
Time: 58 min
Projection: Thursday 5 December – 5:05 pm – Sala Colonne
WATCH THE TRAILER
Synopsis
An homage dedicated to the inspiring life journey of Keiko Fukuda who decided to defy thousands of years of tradition, choosing her own path, and becoming the only woman in judo’s history to attain the pinnacle 10th degree black belt. Accepting an invitation by judo’s founder Jigoro Kano, Fukuda joined the newly formed women’s division of the Kodokan in 1934. Over 30 years later she embarked on a journey to teach judo in the USA. Keiko Fukuda returns to her homeland to acknowledge her humble solitary life devoted to the art of judo. Fukuda continued teaching in her San Francisco dojo, until her death at 99 years of age.