Flying Carp Productions - Documentary Films

The Commonwealth Club of California is hosting an event at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, May 16 featuring 99-year-old Keiko Fukuda, the highest ranking woman in judo history. The event begins at 6:00 pm and will be held at the Commonwealth Club of California, which is located in downtown San Francisco.

In addition to featuring Keiko Fukuda in person, the event will also include excerpts from the film Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful, which made its world premiere at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March. The director of the film, Yuriko Gamo Romer, will also be in attendance to discuss the film.

As an added bonus, Fukuda’s judo students from the Soko Joshi Judo Club (the dojo Fukuda founded) will also present a live judo demonstration during the event.

For more information & to purchase tickets, visit the Commonwealth Club site here.

Yuriko Gamo Romer at the world premiere.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who attended the world premiere on Sunday, March 11 at the Castro Theater!

We were overwhelmed by the incredible turnout & by all of your support. It was truly amazing!

If you attended the premiere & loved it, please vote for our film, which is competing for an award in the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival’s “Documentary Category.”

***Text JUDO to 96035***

For those who weren’t able to attend the premiere, don’t forget there is another screening in San Jose on March 18 at 2pm. Click here to purchase tickets and for more details.

Due to high demand, the world premiere of Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful has been moved to the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco, CA.

The San Francisco screening will now take place at 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 11, 2012. (The San Jose premiere date/time on March 18 remains the same.)

To buy tickets and for more information, please visit the official San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival website.

*(Please note that the day of the film premiere - March 11 - also marks Daylight Savings Time beginning at 2am. Please make sure to change your clocks 1 hour ahead, so that you’re not late for the premiere!)

Exciting news! Our film is premiering soon - sometime in March (more details soon) - and we are scrambling to finish it up.

Funds are still needed in these final stages of post-production, so if you weren’t able to donate to our Kickstarter campaign, or if you are feeling extra generous, please consider donating by clicking the PayPal button on the right side of the screen.

Thank you to everyone who has generously contributed and gotten us to this point! We couldn’t have done it without you.

This week we added a new pledge level and great new reward to our Kickstarter campaign for Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful. Visit our page today or check out the blurb below for details.

Pledge $650 or more (Limited Reward - Only 3 Available)

Two beautiful vintage black-and-white photographic prints of Keiko Fukuda practicing judo (kata forms) in 1974. The prints will come mounted and signed by both Fukuda and the photographer, Cathy Cade. Also, a copy of the finished film on DVD signed by the filmmaker, your name listed in the film’s credits, and a “Thank You” on the film’s website.

Again, thank you to all of our wonderful backers for pledging already. Please spread the word & help us reach - and exceed - our goal!

We’ve just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to help us finish the film “Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful.” Kickstarter is a deadline-driven, all-or-nothing, crowdsourcing, fundraising platform.

We only have 50 days to raise $15,000. If we don’t reach our goal, we won’t make a penny and your donation will not be processed. So, please visit our Kickstarter campaign page today and consider making a donation. Every amount is appreciated! And even better news - there are fun “rewards” for varying degrees of pledges.

Please spread the word! Tell all your friends and family about our Kickstarter campaign. Help us finish the film and carry on Fukuda Shihan’s legacy.

Photo Courtesy of Kyodo News

Last week, USA Judo promoted Fukuda Sensei to 10th dan, the highest black belt level in judo. She has now earned the esteemed title “Shihan” (grand master).

Join us in congratulating Fukuda Shihan on this monumental achievement!

Check out the article that the San Francisco Chronicle published on Saturday for more details on the promotion, as well as a previous article with more details on Fukuda Shihan’s life and the upcoming film “Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful,” which chronicles her journey in achieving judo history.

Fukuda Sensei pictured in middle

On Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article and photo slideshow featuring Fukuda Sensei, as well as the upcoming film “Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful.” Make sure to check it out and share it with your friends.