Kickstarter

THE FILM
This unique, fish out of water tale, presents Master Hui Li, a Taiwanese monk who has transformed  the lives of thousands of children throughout Africa.

Its a story of unconditional love bridging two vastly different cultures. Master Hui Li, a Buddhist monk, drew local attention when he started teaching martial arts to African kids.

They call him Daddy Monk in Mandarin. It wouldn’t seem strange if Master Hui Li was in his native Taiwan, but he’s not, he’s in Malawi. And his children, as he calls them, are orphans, that he’s rescued off the streets.

Master Hui Li knew that providing food and shelter alone would not lift these kids from poverty.  He did what came naturally. He taught them to meditate and introduced them to Shaolin Kung Fu.

Martial Arts have been practiced in far Eastern countries for centuries to instill discipline, maintain physical health, and perpetuate spiritual calmness. But would it work in Africa? 

The transformation from AIDs victims to multilingual Buddhists expert in Shaolin Kung Fu is nothing short of astonishing. These kids are thriving, its a stark contrast from their former lives on the street. 

So far Master Hui Li has established 3 orphanages but he plans to open many more (One in each country in Africa - 53) to continue saving street kids by converting them into joyful and spiritual warriors. 

This story is important. 
We believe that sharing this model can easily demonstrate and inspire program for youth at risk in cities and rural areas in Africa and around the world...

Together, we're making a film that follows the journey of an extraordinary man and his children. We're sharing in building cultural bridges, hope and understanding.

TIME-FRAME
We're in the final stages of pre-production and after more than two years of planning and research we are finally ready to roll.

Our funding deadline is March 30th. I'll be leaving for Johannesburg to begin production by the first week of April. Will be shooting in Johannesburg, Polokwane, Malawi, Letheso, Swaziland and the townships.

IF WE DON'T REACH OUR GOALS, WE DON'T GET A CENT!
Check out the rewards on the right. We've got some great perks for you. For $10 you get a copy of the final movie. Check it out!

HOW WILL THE FUNDS BE USED?
We have calculated the costs and this is a shoe string budget. I'll be staying at the monastery to reduce living expenses. We're busy working hard for free, but there are unavoidable costs for production, post production and misc funds will be needed for various expenses:

• Digital Video Equipment - field package for shooting on location, audio, lenses, storage media and drives. 
• Crew. Camera operator, audio technician, translator.
• Post-Production.  Editorial prep - logging and trans-coding.
• Transcription and Translation.
• Voice over, sound and music editing.
• Miscellaneous production expenses, such as travel, accommodation, food for the crew, insurance, printing and administrative support.

Note: No funding from this project will go to the Amitofo Care Center or Master Hui Li and the children. Money raised on Kickstarter is being used solely to fund the documentary.

Zikomo Kwambiri -THANK YOU!

Thanks for supporting this project.  Your good wishes, donation or spreading of the word all help to make it possible. I hope you enjoy being part of it!  

We appreciate your support,
Alison Richards & James Gien Varney Wong 

Be sure to visit (and share!) our Facebook page and official African Kung Fu Kids website.

And remember...

• We can’t do this without you. Alison has already picked flights, booked interview subjects and arranged for crew in South Africa so it would be a HUGE embarrassment not to make our goal. 
• We're pretty confident we can raise much more, but rock bottom, we need $50K to get our film in the can.
• For those of you not familiar with Kickstarter this is how it works, if we don’t reach our goal of $50,000 we get NOTHING!  
• That’s right, we must raise 100% of goal by our deadline or we’re bust and you pay nothing. 
• Don't worry, we're allowed to raise funds above our goal, so don’t be afraid to give a bit extra if you can afford it. 
• Extra funds will go towards extra crew and equipment, post production, additional locations, duplication, distribution, PR and marketing.
• You're the most important person on this project. We're counting on your support.

To see more of Daddy Monk's extraordinary children - VIDEO

The history of  Shaolin martial arts being taught in Africa.