Private Project

Kung Fu Brothers

The two-part documentary Shi xiong di – Kung Fu Brothers (2020) follows the young students of a small daoist kung fu school in Wudang, China. It provides a rare look into their daily life and training on the mountain, and the viewer also gets to join them on their performance trips. Many dashing kung fu performances are presented but the main focus is on these bright-natured young people as they are.

(Recommendation of age group 12+)

  • Mirkka Suhonen
    Director
    The First Sword of Wudang, Tornin Neito
  • Mirkka Suhonen
    Writer
    The First Sword of Wudang, Tornin Neito
  • Mirkka Suhonen
    Producer
    The First Sword of Wudang, Tornin Neito
  • Ville Suopajärvi
    Music
    The First Sword of Wudang, Tornin Neito
  • Jukka Nurmela & Heikki Kivelä
    Audio Engineers
    The First Sword of Wudang
  • Yumin Raitamaa, Liyun Zhang & Ilkka Suhonen
    Translation
  • Chen Xinjie, Chen Haonan, Tian Liang, Chen Xiangbing, Wu Yuanlong, Chen Wenbing, Li Ruiming, Xiao Ba, Shi Bowen, Zhou Kai
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    师兄弟 / Kungfuveljet
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    58 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 21, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Finland
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Premiere at Valvesali
    Oulu
    Finland
    August 21, 2020
    world premiere
  • 39th Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival
    Oulu
    Finland
    November 20, 2020
    Official Selection, Nominated for Best Finnish Picture of the Year
  • 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 (𝗖𝗖𝗔) 2022
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    Finalist
Distribution Information
  • M Suhonen Films
    Country: Finland
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Mirkka Suhonen

"I am a Finnish filmmaker, visual artist and art & media teacher, currently working on a film project set in a daoist kung fu school in Wudang mountain, China. The fiction film, The First Sword of Wudang, premiered in June 2018, and I am now releasing a two-part documentary film Kung Fu Brothers to complete the project.

For me, there is nothing more interesting than the process of discovery, whether it is travelling the world and learning from other cultures, or the creative process of art-making. Films are my passion, but I also enjoy digital photography, drawing, painting, and graphic design. I am very much into the spectacular, and in the past, I have organized concept events combining film, music and performance art.

I put a lot of time and effort in my projects, and I want them to be meaningful. My subjects and topics are often inspiring people or things that I find neglected or forgotten by culture. In my works, I wish to contribute to preserving cultural heritage, and examine interesting ways in which traditional and contemporary culture clash and coexist."

Add Director Biography