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How did you meet the subjects profiled in your film?
I was executive editor of Kungfu magazine for 5 years, and I met them all doing stories on them for the mag, and also at kungfu tournaments. I developed a special interest in Shaolin Temple after visiting there in 1998, and subsequently went on to put out a yearly Shaolin Special issue of the magazine.
Why do you think kungfu continues to gain popularity in the United States?
Part of it is the movie/legendary aspect, there’s a big cult of ‘70s kungfu films out there, and a second wave of Hong Kong film buffs too. Then, also, martial arts has been growing slowly but steadily as every strip mall in America seems to have some kind of kungfu studio, dojo or Tae Kwon Do school!
There’s also a hipness attached to it right now – blockbusters like The Matrix, Crouching Tiger and Charlie’s Angels didn’t hurt – and sort of a buzz about it in the subculture. And on the side, Asian themes are more in fashion; Chinoiserie in clothing and home design, feng shui, etc. There’s some anticipation of the Olympics in China, and kungfu may be a new sport in the 2008 Games.
What do you hope to achieve with this film?
To get more paying gigs in documentary! (Just kidding! Well, sort of!) I wanted partly to demystify the pop concept of the Shaolin monk as a guy in the clouds meditating on the mountain far from civilization… both in China and here in America, monks are real people, they have cell phones and struggle with quotidian things, even as they practice and teach Buddhism and kungfu. They are complex individuals. We wanted to show the real men underneath the image, explore their journeys and characters – and ideally the complexities inherent in being Buddhist kungfu monks in America. Also, particularly in this political time, I think teaching about Buddhism is a good thing, a positive thing; I’m not a religious Buddhist, but I am a student of Buddhism. For me, it has benefited my life, especially from a philosophical angle, and I think others might glean the same benefit, even on a very small scale. Same with kungfu, it has been a great art/sport to do in my life, and opened up a whole new culture (Chinese) for me.
I felt as editor of Kungfu magazine I could help be a sort of cultural bridge between Americans and Chinese, and the two cultures, and with this film we hope to reach an even wider audience and do the same thing. Also, there’s not so much authentic Chinese culture on American TV, so of course it’s nice to get more of that out there.
The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?
Pursuing interesting topics that are a combination of artistic satisfaction and social/cultural relevance that I think should be out there. Now that documentary has gotten dubiously “sexier” with reality shows, I think it will help bring a general audience around to watching non-narrative forms like docs, and see that they can be just as riveting as narrative. In independent film you have less money and maybe less exposure, but having artistic control and integrity of your work means everything.
Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
It just seemed the right avenue for this film. And, during the filming, it gave us a lot of credibility with our subjects.
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Get a good, flexible day job (preferably freelance) with a sympathetic boss, or live off your parents or spouse as long as possible. I mean this without irony!
If you could have one motto, what would it be?
“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” – Tao Te Ching. Especially in shooting and editing!
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