Synopsis
The documentary DRAGON GIRLS tells the story of three Chinese girls,
training to become Kung Fu fighters, far away from their families at the
Shaolin Tagou Kung Fu School, located right next to the Shaolin
Monastery in China, place of origin of Kung Fu. Three girls in a crowd
of 27.000 children, under pressure to conform to the norms and
structures: They are turned into fighting robots and yet, if you look
behind the curtain, you see children with dreams and aspirations.
Project Details
Director, Script & D.o.P.: Inigo Westmeier
Editor: Benjamin Quabeck
Editor: Benjamin Quabeck
Music: Lee Buddah & Philip Stegers
World Sales: Attraction Distribution
Distributor: Polyband
Produced by Andreas Simon, Inigo Westmeier and Tom Wommer. Co-produced by Bettina Brokemper and Benjamin Quabeck.
In coproduction with BR/Arte. Supported by FFF Bayern, Hessische Filmförderung, FFA and DFFF.
Festivals
International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam 2012
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2013
Sydney Film Festival 2013
International Film Festival Shanghai 2013
AFI Silver Docs Film Festival 2013
Melbourne International Film Festival 2013
Moscow International Film Festival 2013
Zlin Film Festival 2013
Camerimage 2013
Chicago International Children's Film Festival 2013
Bilbao International Short and Documentary Festival 2013
Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International 2013
Goldener Spatz - Children Media Festival 2013
münchener EthnoFilmFest 2013
Irish Film Institute Stranger Than Fiction 2013 Documentary Film Festival
Providence Children's Film Festival
Documenta Madrid 2014
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2013
Sydney Film Festival 2013
International Film Festival Shanghai 2013
AFI Silver Docs Film Festival 2013
Melbourne International Film Festival 2013
Moscow International Film Festival 2013
Zlin Film Festival 2013
Camerimage 2013
Chicago International Children's Film Festival 2013
Bilbao International Short and Documentary Festival 2013
Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International 2013
Goldener Spatz - Children Media Festival 2013
münchener EthnoFilmFest 2013
Irish Film Institute Stranger Than Fiction 2013 Documentary Film Festival
Providence Children's Film Festival
Documenta Madrid 2014
Awards
HotDocs Toronto - Best International Feature Documentary
Camerimage 2013 - Feature Documentary Films Competition (Nominierung)
Chicago International Children´s Festival 2013 - Children's Jury Prize - Documentary Feature Film
São Paulo International Film Festival 2013 - Best Documentary (Nominierung)
Brooklin Film Festival 2013 - Spirit Award
Deutscher Kamerapreis 2013 - Best Cinematography Documentary Inigo Westmeier
Metropolis German Director's Award 2013
German Critics Award - Best Dokumentary (Nominated)
Hessischer Film Award 2013 - Bestr Dokumentary
Camerimage 2013 - Feature Documentary Films Competition (Nominierung)
Chicago International Children´s Festival 2013 - Children's Jury Prize - Documentary Feature Film
São Paulo International Film Festival 2013 - Best Documentary (Nominierung)
Brooklin Film Festival 2013 - Spirit Award
Deutscher Kamerapreis 2013 - Best Cinematography Documentary Inigo Westmeier
Metropolis German Director's Award 2013
German Critics Award - Best Dokumentary (Nominated)
Hessischer Film Award 2013 - Bestr Dokumentary