Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefOkinawa-born actor Shogen used to be told that he didn’t look Japanese enough for the Japanese film industry.
Now he is not only one of the most in-demand rising stars, he is also the instigator, co-producer and star of triumph over-adversity movie “Gensan Punch” which has just premiered at the Busan and Tokyo film festivals and has been picked up for HBO.Directed by Brillante Mendoza (“Kinatay,” “Alpha: The Right to Kill”) the fact-based tale sees Tsuchiyama Naozumi, a Okinawan man with a prosthetic leg, relocate to The Philippines to become a professional boxer, after being repeatedly blocked in his home country.Shogen’s recent work has taken him all over Asia, giving him credits on Eric Khoo’s “Ramen.
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