Experiencing Interruptions?

The taste of Mohinga

The subject of this documentary is the martial arts of Myanmar, “Lethwei,” which is said to have a history of over 1000 years.

On the surface, Lethwei seems to be nothing more than primitive fist fighting, without any rules. But it is actually a national sport that places high value on etiquette and is based on a spiritual belief in the ”Nat God.”

In 2004, while under the rule of the military junta, a match between 4 fighters each from Burma and Japan was held in Yangon.

The match took nine years to realize and was intended to introduce Lethwei to the Japanese public.

The filmmakers travel to remote places throughout Myanmar to unravel the mystery, uncovering the many hurdles to realize the match and exploring the sentiments and memories of the important players on both sides.

The film provides a precious testimonial to this historic undertaking, including valuable live footage from the matches, and examines the values of the sport today.

The film contains new footage taken in March 2024 in Yangon.

  • Jun Kawabata
    Director
  • Jun Kawabata
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    6,000,000 JPY
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan, Myanmar
  • Language:
    Japanese, Other
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • UZUMASA, Inc.
    Distributor
    Country: Japan
Director Biography - Jun Kawabata

In addition to his work as a musician, composer, arranger, and producer, Jun Kawabata is an accomplished visual artist. His works include photography, composition, and film production.

[Music and Production under the direction of film director Takeo Kimura]

2004 Machi
appearance by Toshikatsu Uchimi

2006 Looking at the sea (Old Salmon)
appearance by Natsuyo Fukamidori

2007 Matouqin, Nocturne of the Horse-headed Fiddle Starring Seijun Suzuki and Sayoko Yamaguchi

2009 Golden Flower
Starring Yoshio Harada and Keiko Matsuzaka

[Film Music, composition and direction]

2008 Dreaming Awake
Directed by Takeo Kimura
Starring Hiroyuki Nagato, Ineko Arima, Rie Miyazawa

2008 American Banzai (Crazy as usual)
Directed by Yukihisa Fujimoto

2010 One Shot One Ki
Directed by Yukihisa Fujimoto

2013 Sasa no bohyo
Directed by Yukihisa Fujimoto

[Film Direction]
2015 Beauty of Tradition -Journey to Myanmar Folk Music-
2018 Mandalay star -Journey to Myanmar Folk Music-

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