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Karate in Ontario: THE UPHILL BATTLE ‘THE COST OF RAISING A CHAMPION’

Synopsis: 
14 Amazing Experts in One Documentary!
Leading respected and well-known instructors, referees, and judges will share their experiences and the secrets to their success in this documentary. Nassim Varasteh, the Queen of Karate, two-time Silver World Medalist and Canada National Team Kumite Head Coach, tells us her amazing story. All of these people have experienced ‘The Uphill Battle’.
Karate and the Olympics: Who Will Represent Canada?
This documentary highlights the difficulties experienced in creating champions in Ontario. As this documentary explains, it doesn’t matter whether an athlete is talented or not: if they’re from a low-income family they have no chance to pay $1425 provincial "team cost" out of own pocket for the right to represent Ontario at National Championships in Vancouver for 3 days. And there are many such competitions during the year. As the parent of a well-known champion stated: ‘Today, a child’s whole athletic career depends on the pockets of the athlete’s parents – whether they can pay, or not’.
Today, money talks so loud that a person’s paying capacity can now replace talent, dedication, and perseverance. Every day we’re seeing athletes faced with hardships and problems created by stringent rules, underfunding, and a complete lack of understanding from ‘higher-ups’ in the fast-paced world of Karate in Ontario. With Karate becoming part of the Olympics, this situation must be changed! Coaches today are facing real challenges – the challenges involved in raisings athletes to such an elite standard that they’re qualified to bring glory to our country in 2020.
Karate in Ontario has a unique historical background. It also has exceptional athletes and amazing coaches, but it doesn’t have enough competitions, enough judges, enough referees, and it has almost no funding for athletes and coaches!
Today, Karate faces a real challenge, and that is: How do we make the transition from an amateur sport to a professionally organized industry with the appropriate environment for raising true champions?
Runtime: 
75 minutes
English subtitle: 
No
Information for the Audience: 

Karate in Ontario: The Uphill Battle
The Cost of Raising Champion

In 2015, production of this documentary began. The cause: a disappointing lack of karate tournaments in Ontario. Now, for the first time, we go behind the scenes on the difficult journey of creating karate champions in Ontario. Canadian Karate is based on dedication and enthusiasm of the senseis, coaches, judges, athletes and their parents. Ontario is a very special case in this story. Every day the best of the best are faced with difficulties and hardships created by underfunding, stringent rules and a complete lack of comprehension of higher ups* in the fast-paced world of Karate in Ontario.

Please, visit https://www.facebook.com/UphillBattleKarateFilm and http://www.invisionpro.com/uphill-battle-documentary/

Screenings / Awards: 
Spring 2017 – ALTFF Best Documentary(Canada);
Upcoming NOLLYWOOD Festival – Finalist (Canada); 
Upcoming Festival: Documentary without Borders – Finalist (USA).
Information for theatres: 

Directed by Maria Morgunova
Narrated by Kevin Crocker in Japan
Cover art – Oleg Morgunov
Graphic Design by Ol Morgan
Written by Maria Fletcher
Music by Ben Sound
Produced by Invision PRO 

Running Time approx 75 minutes
Format: NTSC
DVD

About INVISION PRO
Independent Vision and Production is a media company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. INVISION PRO produces quality documentaries, B2B marketing videos, short stories, and music videos.
Directed by: 
Maria Morgunova
Writing credits: 
Maria Morgunova, Kevin Crocker
Cast: 
Narrated by Kevin Crocker in Japan
Produced by: 
INVISION PRO
Music by: 
Music by Ben Sound
Film Editing by: 
Maria Morgunova
Production Design by: 
Oleg Morgunov
Art Direction by: 
Graphic Design by Ol Morgan
Release Date: 
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Total votes: 2184

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