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"A fascinating look into a world many of us don't understand." – Toronto Film Scene
Of the 20,000 pupils at the illustrious Shaolin Tagu Kung Fu School (located next to the famous Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kung fu), director Inigo Westmeier focuses in tight on three girls at various stages of their education. Through these young children we are drawn into a world of extreme training, personal discipline and an ever-present pressure to succeed. Far away from home, their vulnerability is palpable and the determination to overcome hardship and achieve perfection inspiring.
Winner of the Best International Feature Documentary at this year's Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, Dragon Girls is both intimately affecting and visually breathtaking: when Westmeir's camera captures all 20,000 students practicing en masse, in perfect unison, it's nothing short of jaw-dropping.
"This is fascinating stuff, beautifully and fluidly lensed by Westmeier." – Torontoist
D Inigo Westmeier P Andreas Simon, Inigo Westmeier, Bettina Brokemper S Inigo Westmeier, Benjamin Quabeck WS Attraction Distribution L Mandarin w/English subtitles TD DCP/2012