Underplayed Gems

My Life: Karate Kids (2010)

My Life: Karate Kids poster
Directed by
John Walsh
Genre
documentary film, martial arts film, documentary television film
Country
United Kingdom
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like this

How it feels

This BBC documentary follows two disabled children in north London as they learn Sanjuro Martial Arts. Their friendship and growing confidence unfold over several months, challenging assumptions about what they can achieve.

inspiringupliftinggentlehopefulheartfeltquietly empoweringpoignant

What happens

My Life: Karate Kids is a British documentary for the BBC by John Walsh of Walsh Bros Ltd. and was narrated by actor David Tennant. The film follows the friendship of two disabled children as they embark on learning Sanjuro Martial Arts and changing their lives forever. This film challenges the perceptions around childhood disability. Sanjuro Martial Arts has its roots in traditional martial arts and a contemporary approach to teaching practical techniques that fit around the student’s abilities. Developed by Glenn Delikan, Sanjuro strives to make martial arts available to all ages and abilities, offering a glimpse of physical independence to kids who are otherwise totally reliant on carers. By charting the progress of the children over several months, Karate Kids reveals the friendship, bullying, confidence and self-worth of children in a north London school. Buoyed by physical breakthroughs kick-started in Sanjuro class, one character in the series, Tim Choi, benefits even more than most. Tim has never been able to move or communicate unaided, and relies on mum and best friend Francis to communicate his thoughts to the outside world. Karate Kids follows him through a very busy few months. Tim receives a national award from disability charity Cerebra, then runs for Class President, and then has his life transformed as laser technology offers him a voice of his own and some glimmer of independence. Adult mainstream class members featured in the footage for the documentary include actor Alexander Dreymon. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.