The Real Shaolin

International Premiere

After watching Chinese kung fu movies, a number of us may consider enrolling in our local gym to learn the sport.

The Shaolin Temple is the legendary birthplace of kung fu. Decades ago, it was destroyed and its practitioners reduced. But the rise of kung fu movies has inspired efforts to rebuild the temple, and a new surge of students.

The Real Shaolin follows two Western students as they train in China. A 19 year-old American named Orion wants to become a master of Shaolin kung fu but suffers a physical injury. Eric, a 29 year-old Frenchman, yearns to study with the Shaolin Grand Master Shi De Yang and wonders if he could be the first westerner to become a fully ordained Shaolin monk. On his visits to town, he chases after the local girls.

Adding to the story are two local Chinese students: 9 year-old orphan Yuan Peng adopted by a Shaolin monk who is taught the mystical practice of Iron Body Qigongin and will one day be ordained. Zhu is a teenager from a poor rural family and trains in Sanda kickboxing in the hope it will help him escape a life as a farmer.

First time director and martial arts practitioner, Alexander Sebastian Lee, follows their months of excruciating martial arts training as their dreams of becoming kung fu warriors collide with harsh reality.