Next to all else forthcoming for this year’s seventh Urban Action Showcase in New York City will be director Serge Qu’s new documentary, Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks.
Home viewers will be in good company by then as well with a digital and DVD release on September 17 coinciding with its same-day premiere at Fantastic Fest.
News comes by way of Variety‘s own Dave McNary on Friday who reported Giant Pictures’ acquisition of worldwide digital rights of the new martial arts action cinema documentary.
Rights exclude SVOD and Australia/New Zealand. Fantastic Fest programmer Evrim Ersoy makes the case for the new doc following its Melbourne premiere last month:
Filling a long overdue gap with a thoroughly examined, endlessly entertaining, and utterly wonderful documentary looking at the width and breadth of the history of kung fu movies, IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS is a blazing roundhouse of a film that splits at the seams with interviews, anecdotes, and utterly outrageous memories.
Starting in the early ‘60s with the establishment of the Shaw Brothers studio, and traveling all the way to the current stars of the genre, director Serge Ou chooses the best of the best to demonstrate how kung fu movies became a global phenomenon. Interviewing everyone from experts like Grady Hendrix, to stars Cheng Pei-Pei and Cynthia Rothrock, as well as choreographer/directors like Yuen Woo-Ping and many, many more, IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS is paced to match the martial arts films that are its subject, and breathlessly takes the audience on a journey from Hong Kong to New York to Australia and more.
A brilliant historical artifact, a terrific anecdotal piece, and an incredible excuse to rediscover the gems of kung fu cinema that may not have been visited in a while, IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS is a breath of fresh air. Delivering long overdue respect at the door of a genre that has and continues to inspire countless artists working within the industry, this is a historical thrill ride practically custom-made for Fantastic Fest.
Veronica Fury produced the documentary for WildBear Entertainment, with Nate Bolotin and Todd Brown serving as executive producers for XYZ Films which also handles international sales.
McNary lists the following digital platforms will be Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, FandangoNow, Xbox, and Redbox, with online DVD availability via Walmart.com, Best Buy, and Barnes & Noble.
