In the coming months following its Busan premiere, Brilliante Mendoza’s new boxing drama, Gensan Punch. The English/Japanese/Tagalog film was shot in both the Philippines and Japan, and stars Shogen (Death Note; Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist), Ronnie Lazaro (Affliction; Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story), Kaho Minami (Dream Street; Hotaru), Beauty Gonzales (The Heiress; Angelito: Batang Ama) and Vince Rillon (3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!; Ang Probinsyano).
Inspired by the true story of Naozumi Tsuchiyama, GENSAN PUNCH is about a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg who goes to the Philippines to train and pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. The so-called Gensan Quarter of General Santos City has long been known for producing athletes including presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao. The film tackles the issue of discrimination towards the disabled, especially in competitive sport.
The film is presented as an HBO Asia Original and will launch in the coming months for its regional subscribers exclusively via HBO GO, as well as HBO channel.
