fight scene machine

Well, it’s been a weekend for anyone and everyone who’s been to the movies to see Avengers: Infinity War. My time won’t be for another week though, so I definitely made some use of the time I had while at work.

L to R (top): Cassandra Ebner, David Lavallee Jr., Ming Na-Wen, Cameron Early, Lee Chesley
L to R (bottom): Alex Hashioka, Michelle Rodriguez, Anthony Hoang, Brea Schneider, Jason Cavalier

And thus, it’s another week and another chapter as The Hit List rolls on with playlists of stunt and training reels, promotional goods and short film goods from some of today’s curious and gifted in creating action on film, and not for nothing either. Stuntwoman and B-girl Lee Chesley gets our first playlist started with her latest reel followed by Ricky Lawson, Kaanchana Kerr, Patrick Schmeikal, R.J. Howard, Sadiqua Bynum, Daniel Elman, Brea Schneider and Olivier Lunardi. Rounding out the playlist is a new company reel by Film Combat Syndicate, Ronin Visual Action, and in what could only be viewed as a necessary addition of the ceremonial reel featuring the honorees of the 2018 Artemis Women In Action Film Festival.

Hit it!

In our midst of things to promote, Chinese media outlets have been stirring news over the production of a new short film on the horizon. Plot details are unknown about The Teacher, which is otherwise directed by Jeremy Weiss and stars none other than Chinese-American actress and martial artist Sarah Chang.The new short which opens in late May, hails the official Grand Opening of Wanda Film Studios in Qingdao, China with DJI Creative Studio and Wanda Pictures partnering for the new action short. Chang appears in a several forthcoming titles from director Vincent Soberano, including The Trigonal which is set to screen at Cannes. Hat tip to Soberano himself for the share via QQ!

I’ve been off-and-on in touch with filmmaker Dom Fred who has had a few gems shared on The Hit List in the past. As of last week it seems he’s gotten himself another gem on the horizon with tournament drama, The Legend, telling of the daughter of a late kumite champion who ventures into the secluded, hidden fighting circuit to prove herself once and for all. The trailer itself seems pretty promising for a shortfilm now forthcoming, and I’ll be well on top of it when it goes live.

That trailer is the first of two this week with the second attributed to the work of writer and director Raphaël Hébert. His latest short, Past And Future Kings became a noted favorite, earning him the Gold Prize for Best Canadian Short Film at last year’s Fantasia Festival, and for that, it’s festival circuitry continues. I had the pleasure of screening the film myself courtesy of star, actor and stuntman Jason Cavalier who leads the timeless epic centered on a medieval king, beleagured by what the future holds should he accept the crown.

I’m inclined to cover this a little more as well. Moreover though, for as long as the five years Cavalier has been following my posts, it’s about damn time I got to share some of his work a little more prolifically.

Check out both trailers in the playlist below!

Jefferson Lewis III’s got a new move to test his might with over at Fight Scene Machine, kicking off the fights and films segment followed by Nong Nachampassack who clearly needs to leave Ricky Barksdale‘s headphones alone in their new video, and Steven Chan and Veto Swarn pursue their hunger for the last Krispy Krime in the room courtesy of Brazen Action Design.

Cameron Early and Bryan Dodds settle their differences in a knife fight arbitrated by choreographer Narayan Cabral, Darren Holmquist plays High School Bully to Ethan S. Orbach over at Dardrex Productions, and Anthony Hoang and Allison Pineault weigh in with a test fight of their own from David Lavallee Jr.

Kai Young and Jon Beal throwdown with the sharp stuff as well while Screw Attack gives more to the fanservice between blind fighting character favorites, Marvel’s Daredevil and Mortal Kombat’s Kenshi, Alexey Minaev gathers a hungry raft of stunt talent in Russia for practice action short, Wild Forest, and a better-late-than-never addition to the Hit List this week for Micah Moore’s all-stuntman-starring Video Game Stunt Tribute with Alex Hashioka, Billy Bussey, Matt Schieb, Ben Aycrigg, Billy Bussey and Tang Nguyen.

Rounding it all out this week is Chintya Candranaya once more as she battles her way out of criminal captivity and a drug-induced haze in the sixth installment of her Lady Of Fury series of shorts.

Enjoy the hits!

L to R (top): Danielle Burgio, Veto Swarn, Ben Aycrigg, Billy Bussey, Allison Pineault
L to R (bottom): Narayan Cabral, Kaanchana Kerr, Tang Nguyen, Indira Hong Rieck, Matt Scheib

There are definitely some gems that I came across this week but didn’t at all have time to look at. Those may go up next week so we’ll see what happens. For now, hit up last week’s entries if you missed them, subscribe to the channels and SHARE the Hit List with friends, and if you or someone you know has a potential shorrfilm hit on hands, hit us up at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com

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