Hawaii International Film Festival 2009

THE REAL SHAOLIN is a moving and poetic documentary which chronicles two Chinese and two Westerners at the various Shaolin Temples in China. Orion and Eric make their pilgrimage to study under legendary Kung Fu masters. However, in the course of excruciating martial arts training, their fantasies of becoming Kung Fu warriors collide with harsh reality. Yuan Peng, a 9 year old boy who was abandoned in front of a Shaolin Temple and taken in by the monks, dreams of one day joining the ranks of his new family. His goals are put in jeopardy as his life changes through the reconstruction of his temple. 19 year old Zhu studies Sanda, the sport of Chinese kickboxing. He pushes himself to be the best, knowing that this is his only real chance at escaping poverty. With such high stakes, Zhu's success at the National Sanda Championships will determine his fate. These four lives that are depicted illuminate the virtue of dreams and the will of the human spirit.