Project Link
https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Judo-Strong-Gentle-Beautiful/dp/B0160SUGHC

Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful

Once in a long while, the life destiny of one woman lines up to make a radical shift for women around the world. On July 28, 2011 Keiko Fukuda broke through a glass ceiling for women when she was awarded the pinnacle of judo, the 10th degree black belt. Fukuda is the first and only woman to hold this honor. The film offers a thematic exploration of profound shifts in Japanese society and the altered status of women on both sides of the Pacific, with a visual style that honors Fukuda’s motto, which is also the film’s subtitle. Fukuda explains the crux of judo – literally “way of gentleness” – is the flexibility to move with the energy of the moment. Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful is the story of Keiko Fukuda, whose life commitment was to spread judo around the globe.

  • Yuriko Gamo Romer
    Director
    Occidental Encounters
  • Yuriko Gamo Romer
    Writer
    Occidental Encounters
  • Marc Smolowitz
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Biographical, Sports, Women, Judo
  • Runtime:
    58 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 11, 2012
  • Production Budget:
    375,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan, United States
  • Language:
    English, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • CAAMFest (presented by the Center for Asian American Media)
    San Francisco
    United States
    World Premier
    Official Selection
  • DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival
    St. George
    United States
    September 5, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Cincinnati Film Festival
    Cincinnati
    United States
    September 6, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Guam International Film Festival
    Hagåtña
    Guam
    September 27, 2012
    Official Selection
  • United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
    San Francisco
    United States
    October 18, 2012
    Official Selection
  • DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    October 4, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
    Fort Lauderdale
    United States
    October 19, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Council on Social Work Education DC Conference Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    November 9, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Durango Independent Film Festival
    Durango, CO
    United States
    February 27, 2013
    Official Selection
  • Fargo Film Festival
    Fargo
    United States
    March 5, 2013
    Official Selection
  • Moscow Sports Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    April 5, 2013
    Russian Premier
    Best Documentary
  • Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival
    Sacramento
    United States
    May 26, 2013
    Official Selection
  • Boston Asian American Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    October 18, 2013
    Official Selection
  • Mumbai Women's Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    March 13, 2013
    India
    Official Selection
  • Milan Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs
    Milan
    Italy
    Italian
    Official Selection
  • Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
    Hot Springs National Park
    United States
    October 14, 2012
    Official Selection
  • Seattle Asian American Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Passion River
    Country: United States
    Rights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Video / Disc
  • CAAM
    Country: United States
    Rights: Free TV
  • Pandora
    Country: Japan
    Rights: All Rights
  • Flying Carp Productions
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Airline, Theatrical, Video / Disc
Director Biography - Yuriko Gamo Romer

San Francisco based independent documentary filmmaker, Yuriko Gamo Romer directed and produced the only biographical documentary about Keiko Fukuda (1913-2013), the first woman to attain the tenth-degree black belt in judo. MRS. JUDO has traveled to more than 25 film festivals internationally, broadcast on PBS nationally, and was awarded the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2013 International Festival of Sport Films in Moscow. Currently Romer is in production with DIAMOND DIPLOMACY, about the 145-year history of U.S. Japan relations through a shared love of baseball. Additionally, her film OCCIDENTAL ENCOUNTERS won numerous awards, among them a Student Academy Award – Gold Medal and Heartland Film Festival’s Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award. Romer was born in Japan and raised in the United States, and is bilingual. She holds a Master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from Stanford University, where she was a she was a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Scholar, an American Association of Japanese University Women Scholar, and a BFA from UCLA.

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