Tak Sakaguchi (Yakuza Weapon, director & actor)

Born in 1975, Tak Sakaguchi started out as an underground street fighter with a reputation for using martial arts to beat down his opponents. He was discovered by director Ryuhei Kitamura who cast him as the star of his low budget, homemade action-horror film, Versus. This little film went on to become a cult hit, selling over 100,000 DVD copies in America, and it remains Kitamura's best-known role. He also appeared in several more films directed by Kitamura, including Azumi and Alive as well as the Kitamura-produced Battlefield Baseball. He went on to choreograph the action in Kitamura's big budget kaiju film, Godzilla: Final Wars. He has appeared in films such as Shinobi and also taken several television roles. In 2008, he wrote/directed/choreographed and starred in his directorial debut, Be a Man! Samurai School. Later that same year he directed and appeared in Yoroi Samurai Zombie, based on his own short story. He is well versed in Shaolin kenpo, kickboxing, boxing and mixed martial arts.

Tak Sakaguchi will hold a Q&A after the screening of Yakuza Weapon.

Rina Takeda (Karate Girl, actress)

Japanese actress and black belt in Ryukyu Shorin-ryu Karate. Reportedly, Takeda was first inspired to get into karate at the age of 10 when she witnessed her father get eliminated from a tournament and became determined to avenge his defeat.

Producer Fuyuhiko Nishi left a message on Takeda’s blog and encouraged her to audition for the lead in an upcoming martial arts film he planned to direct. Although she had no experience as a film actress, she eventually passed the audition and made her debut in the 2009 film High Kick Girl!

Clement Cheng (Gallants, director)

Clement Cheng will hold a Q&A after the screening of Gallants.

Sam Voutas (Red Light Revolution, director)

Born in Melbourne and raised in Manila and China, amongst other places, Voutas is both an actor and a director, having appeared in Lu Chuan’s City of Life and Death.

Sam Voutas will hold a Q&A after the screening of Red Light Revolution.