The Shaolin Cultural Festival kicked off in the weekend just gone in London’s Soccerdome, and with it came the official beginning of one of the festival’s many attractions – specifically, the official launch of the “Iron Monk” crowdfunding campaign!
After beginning life as a short film/teaser trailer released on YouTube in 2011, fans have spent the past three years eagerly awaiting when they might see more. The official synopsis from the film’s Indiegogo page (the campaign had originally been launched on Kickstarter at the Shaolin Cultural Festival this past weekend, but was subsequently cancelled and re-launched on Indiegogo earlier today) reveals what fans can expect:
“Haunted by memories of his past that leave him unable to practice kung fu, an ex-Shaolin Monk lives quietly in London’s Chinatown. When an impulsive young British shopkeeper comes to him for help, the Monk finds a friend, but is reluctantly drawn into conflict with a vicious Triad gang that rapidly spirals out of control leaving the Monk with a stark choice: face his past and fight… Or die.”
Conceived by filmmaker Jason Ninh Cao and directed by Mat Sunderland from a script by Mark Pallis, “Iron Monk” will feature the headmaster of London’s U.K. Shaolin Temple, Shi Yanzi as it’s leading man. Opposing our hero’s righteous ways are U.K. martial arts champions Silvio Simac, Zara Phythian, and Mark Strange, as well as Jason Ninh Cao himself. Handling the duties of action director is accomplished stunt man and fight choreographer Vincent Wang, whose previous credits include “Batman Begins”, “Sherlock Holmes”, “Shanghai Knights”, and “Skyfall”.
Described as a “back to basics” martial arts epic, the makers of “Iron Monk” are ready and eager to deliver something truly special, but they’ll need the help of every fan of the original trailer. Be sure to visit the film’s official YouTube Channel, Twitter, and Facebook pages, as well as the official Indiegogo campaign for information about the film and how to make a donation. Let’s help the people behind the original trailer bring back old school REAL martial arts and thus the “Iron Monk” to life!
