''Born Warriors'' is a 2016 trilogy of

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

s directed and shot by Vincent Giordano. The films focus on the art of

Lethwei Lethwei (; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) or Burmese boxing is a Full contact fighting, full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered as one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.} * * * * * * Lethwe ...

, an ancient form of

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (horse), a ...

bare-knuckle/bound-fist fighting that is still practiced throughout

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Overview

Burmese Lethwei, or Myanmar Traditional Boxing, is one of the oldest combat sports in Myanmar, and the Burmese are the last of the great bare-knuckle fighters in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The

Thais Thais can be the plural of ''Thai'' and refer to: * The Thai people, the main ethnic group of Thailand * The Thai peoples or Tai peoples, the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia In the singular, Thais may refer to: People Ancien ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

ns and

Laotians This article describes the demographic aspects of Laos. Population Lao statistics bureau estimates Structure UN estimates Health Total fertility rate (TFR) and Crude birth rate (CBR): Total fertility rate and other ...

all gave up or outlawed their active bare-knuckle fighting traditions and introduced more modern (and gloved) ring arts such as

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

Pradal Serey Kun Khmer ( ), or Pradal Serey ( ), is a combat sport that originated in Cambodia. The sport consists of stand up striking and clinch fighting, where the objective is to knock an opponent out, force a technical knockout, or win a match by point ...

and

Muay Lao Muay Lao (, lit. "Lao boxing") is a combat sport from Laos based on ancient Lao martial arts. It incorporates punches, kicks, elbow, and knee strikes. It can be traced back to the 15th century when it was used for military combat during the Lan ...

. The Born Warriors project unfolds in three distinct parts. Each part is a separate film. The first details Lethwei before Burma's era of democratic reform. The second part focuses on how the sport is again evolving as it struggles with growth and fierce competition among promoters who wish to control and dominate it. The third part updates the second documentary, but focuses more on the rural communities and the further evolution of the sport. It is a special updated director's cut of the second documentary. Retrieval date 22 December 2016 The original idea was to create distinctive chapters, similar to a book, where the main documentaries are supported by extensive bonus material. The latter material delves deeper into specific topics covered in the main documentaries. Ultimately, it is the story of Lethwei's survival through the dark periods of Myanmar's tough military rule and the country's gradual transition toward a quasi democracy.

Synopsis

Born Warriors focuses on the ancient fighting sport of

and the tightly knit group of fighters, trainers and promoters who struggled during a turbulent period in Burma's history to keep the sport alive. The documentary, shot prior to the opening of the country's borders in 2011, takes advantage of a unique archive of rare photos,

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

, footage and training documents assembled from the research that took the director close to two decades to compile. ''Born Warriors Redux'' follows the sport of Lethwei as it faces an unusual series of challenges stemming from the opening of the country to the outside world. Lethwei is an ancient sport that once prepared men for

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

and served as a rite of passage into

manhood A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fath ...

. The recent rise of modern training camps throughout Myanmar have allowed people from all walks of life the ability to freely train and compete. The documentary focuses on the clash of modern promoters who are clamoring to control the sport and its future direction. ''Born Warriors Redux: Bound Fists'' is a special director's cut of the second documentary that focuses more on the rural communities that have been the sport's lifeblood since ancient times. The film shows how the people in these communities have kept the sport as it was while modern promoters try their best to the sell the sport as a commodity within

and to the outside world.

Production

Filming began in 1999 on the northern border between

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and Myanmar. The original footage was not intended for a documentary, but as visual support documentation for the ''Vanishing Flame'', a

cross-cultural Cross-cultural may refer to: *cross-cultural studies, a comparative tendency in various fields of cultural analysis *cross-cultural communication, a field of study that looks at how people from differing culture, cultural backgrounds communicate * ...

book on the bare-knuckle fighting arts of

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Xegarra, Guillermo Burmese Odyssey
Retrieval date 22 December 2016 During a trip to

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

in 2003, Vincent suffered whiplash when his car nearly flipped as he attempted to flee a military crackdown. His camera was severely damaged and critical footage was lost. A network of Burmese informers and spies continued to monitor the filming progress, but did not obstruct any of the shoots. Instead, many of the Burmese who participated or helped were endlessly harassed. The situation escalated in 2005, when Vincent and Associate Producer and Music Composer Camus Celli visited the compound of the late author and political activist Min Theinkha to film his Lethwei club in

Hmawbi Hmawbi () is the principal town of Hmawbi Township near the Yangon River in northern Yangon Region, southern Myanmar. On 30 April 2022, it became the capital of the new Hmawbi District when the North Yangon District North Yangon District is a ...

township. An eventual book deal eventually fell through, but Giordano continued to train, document and film for over two decades. He traveled through most of

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

and

during this period. A series of screenings of rough-cut material was set up in New York and Connecticut. The screenings failed to generate any interest or further financial support, and the project was scrapped. However, the opening of Myanmar in 2011-2012 sparked renewed interest among hungry Lethwei promoters inside the country. In July 2012, Giordano released a limited-edition DVD entitled Born to Battle: Burma vs. Thailand via his Vanishing Flame underground newsletter. This helped generate funds that enabled him to take a new investigative look at what was happening within the sport. Associate Producer Paul Nikitopoulos, who was living in

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

at the time, provided the impetus for a totally new video shoot that spread over three years and was completed on a shoestring budget. The final Born Warriors documentaries are a direct result of those intensive filming trips. During the long production and development process, Vincent Giordano personally taught and hosted seminars and clinics from 1990 through early 2020 with some of the top Southeast Asian and India martial artists through his NYCA school in New York City. This introduced many of the concepts and teachings highlighted in the documentaries. The seminars and clinics that focused on Lethwei helped expand the awareness of the true sport in the West for the first time.

Reception

At the invitation of film producer and

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

Warrington Hudlin Warrington W. Hudlin Jr. (born July 16, 1952) is an American film director, producer, and actor. Early life Hudlin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the son of Helen (née Cason), a teacher, and Warrington W. Hudlin Sr., an insurance exec ...

, the original test edit of ''Born Warriors'' entitled ''Bare Knuckle Warriors'' was screened at the

Museum of the Moving Image The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Am ...

in March, 2011. The successful screening was mentioned in a

Black Belt magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Hollywood, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

article covering the Fist and Sword shows. The Born Warriors edit was further refined, and a second show was assembled by Burmese Bando Master Mary Mester and held at the

Real Art Ways Real Art Ways is a non-profit art space established in 1975. Located at 56 Arbor Street in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut, Real Art Ways exhibits visual art, houses an independent cinema and presents live music, theater, and ...

theater in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

in October 2011. The show focused on Burmese martial tradition and introduced the new Footprints in the River documentary. This new piece was an overview of Burmese martial arts including Lethwei,

Thaing The traditional martial arts of the Mainland Southeast Asia are related to one another, and as a group to Indian martial arts. The most salient common feature is Mainland Southeast Asia kickboxing. The region of Mainland Southeast Asia is belie ...

Bando Bando (, ) is a defensive unarmed martial art from Myanmar. Bando is sometimes mistakenly used as a generic word for all Burmese martial arts, but it is only one martial art; Burmese fighting systems collectively are referred to as ''Thaing (bu ...

Banshay Banshay (, ) is a weapon-based martial art from Myanmar focusing primarily on the sword, staff and spear. Influenced by both Indian and Chinese sources, it is closely related to similar Southeast Asian systems such as Thai krabi krabong, Cambo ...

Naban Naban (, ) is a traditional form of grappling from Myanmar. Naban is integrated into other fighting styles instead of existing as a separate martial art.Green, T. (2001). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia (Vol. 1). Originally based on I ...

and various spiritual traditions. In an effort to raise funds to complete the Born Warriors project, a third show was held on June 16, 2012 at the

Anthology Film Archives Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the film preservation, preservation, film studies, study, and film distribution, exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent film, independent, experimental film, ex ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Editor Robert Reiter of ''Muay Thaimes'' magazine offered to publish an article to support the documentary after attending the early screenings, and a piece written by Giordano appeared in the Spring 2012 issue.

published an article written by Giordano entitled "Traditional Burmese Lethwei Lives On!" in the October/November 2016 issue following a tradition of Burmese martial arts coverage that began in the early 1970s.

Awards

Born Warriors premiered at the 2014 Myanmar Film Festival as an official selection. It won a special merit award and was later named an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival, October Film Festival and the Outside the Box Film Festival. ''Born Warriors Redux'' won the 2015 Best Documentary award at the Los Angeles Movie Awards, Best Documentary Runner up at the

Action On Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmake ...

, and was an official selection of the Hudson Valley Film Festival. ''Born Warriors Redux: Bound Fists'' won 2015 Best Documentary honors at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures film Festival, Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards and a Bronze Medal at the Global Independent Film Awards. Bound Fists also went on to win an Award of Merit at the IndieFest Film Awards, a Gold Award at the California Film Awards, and an Award of Excellence at the Impact Docs Film Festival. It was also an official selection of the Roma Cinema Doc Festival, Newark International Film Festival, MartialCon/Action on Film Festival and Miami Independent Film Festival. The documentary additionally won a Platinum Film Award at the 2016 Spotlight Documentary Film Awards.

Release

The full Born Warriors Trilogy was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

in 2016.Warriors: A Journey Inside Myanmar’s Ancient Fighting Tradition
Retrieval date 22 December 2016 A special 4 Disc Deluxe Edition was released in 2017.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title , 3961188
Film website
Burmese documentary films 2014 documentary films