Two people are fiercely locked in wushu, the Chinese martial art made famous by the movie makers of Hong Kong and even Hollywood. But they are neither kungfu legend Bruce Lee nor matinee idol Jackie Chan. Instead, they are both Africans and the battle on the silver screen is from an African kungfu movie, Escape. It is directed by Kouma Steve Dzibril, an African kungfu practitioner who stars in the movie as well.
The 32-year-old from the Republic of the Congo has gained fame in the international martial arts community with his great passion for Chinese kungfu. "I love wushu. It creates passion and teaches humility," he said. "It is an art that shows us how to develop self-discipline and build self-control."
Unique dream
While an increasing number of Africans are learning martial arts, Dzibril has a unique ambition. "I have experience both as a film maker and kungfu practitioner," he told ChinAfrica. "That is why Chinese martial arts are shown so extensively in my movie."
As China and the Sub-Saharan republic enjoy a deepening relationship - this year the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations - Dzibril would like to make meaningful contributions to the bilateral culture exchanges.
Escape, his first production, is also the first action movie in Africa which extensively incorporates Chinese martial arts. The 90-minute film premiered in capital city Brazzaville on May 31.
Chinese actress Li Ran attended the premiere. "I never thought I would have the chance to play a role in Dzibril's next movie," the 21-year-old former wushu champion told ChinAfrica. "I have practiced martial arts since I was a child. But I never expected Africans would demonstrate such passion and talent for kungfu. They are very professional practitioners of the Chinese martial arts."
Dzibril's next film tells the story of an African man who helps a Chinese girl repel hooligans, and they eventually fall in love. Martial art fights are interspersed throughout the film.
Luc Bendza, an experienced China hand, will be the film's producer. He had a role in the Chinese kungfu film Women Generals of the Yang Family, where he met Li Ran, and then acted as a go-between to facilitate cooperation between African and Chinese actors.
Dzibril's new movie has been attracting investment from some African telecommunication companies, including Warid Telecom and Azur Telecom, as well as some Chinese enterprises.
"I got [their] nods as soon as I talked about my film with them because they recognized the martial arts and values depicted in my production," he said. "My first film gets a good response among African audiences, which I think is the decisive reason for the capital injection."
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