Gensan Punch

Nao Tsuyama, a Japanese athlete, aspires to become a professional boxer but the government refuses to give him a license because he is an amputee. He makes the tough decision to leave his mother and sister at Okinawa to pursue his dream in another country, as if it was the only way to heal his broken limb and soul. Nao goes to GenSan City in the Philippines in order to train with other young Filipinos under the supervision of Ben, the owner of the GenSan Punch gym. He finds him a coach, Rudy, an exhausted boxing champion who introduces him to the sports authorities. He will have to prove his worth. They impose several conditions one of which is to win three consecutive fights. “I became aware of the difference between those who fight to acquire a professional boxer's status, whether they are disabled or not, and Filipino boxers who most of the time start boxing in order to escape poverty and survive, to meet their most basic needs and hope for a better life for their families, for whom personal success and even fame are secondary, and that I think is very Filipino.” Brillante Ma Mendoza