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SPAS Asian Martial Arts Cinema


In November, the UHM School of Pacific and Asian Studies will present a mini film festival featuring Asian martial arts films. The festival will run from November 13-17, 2017 (M through F).

Time: 3pm each day

Place: Moore Hall 109

The featured films are as follows:

Monday, November 13: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China, 2000, 120 min)

crouching tiger hidden dragon still

In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.

Tuesday, November 14: Chandni Chowk to China (India, 2009, 154 min)

chandni chowk to china movie still

Stuck chopping vegetables in a Delhi food stall, Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) consults astrologers and fakirs in the hope that they will help him find a better life. He sees his chance when two Chinese strangers arrive to tell him that he is the reincarnation of a powerful warrior from their village. Thanks to the machinations of a devious translator, Sidhu thinks he is going to China to live like a king, when in fact, he is being taken there to fight a vicious smuggler.

Wednesday, November 15: 13 Assassins (Japan, 2010, 125 min)

13 assassins movie still

In this remake of a 1963 film based on historical events, Shinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) leads a team of assassins in 19th-century Japan to eliminate the ruthless Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira (Goro Inagaki), who is wreaking havoc against his own people. Hired secretly by a government official hoping to end Matsudaira’s reign of terror, Shimada recruits the best samurai in Japan and then sets a trap for the lord’s large contingent of faithful bodyguards.

Thursday, November 16: Arahan (South Korea, 2004, 114 min)

arahan movie still

An earnest but inept rookie cop named Sang-hwan (Ryu Seung-beom) is injured in the line of work by Wi-jin (So-yi Yoon), a young martial arts student who studies under her father and the six Masters of Tao. They believe Sang-hwan has the makings of a great warrior, but the masters are attacked and defeated by the evil Heuk-woon (Jeong Du-hong), who is searching for a special key that would allow him to dominate the world. Soon only Sang-hwan and Wi-jin are standing between Heuk-woon and his plan.

Friday, November 17: Chocolate (Thailand, 2008, 92 min)

chocolate movie still

A gangster’s autistic daughter (Jeeja Vismistananda) uses her amazing martial arts skills to collect on debts owed to her mother.