Honest Without Fear
Feature Documentary
Germany | In Production
Alex Mini LF
Sport quite often transcends social-cultural issues and it is through sport, that this film allows us to reflect on our greater understanding of community. At the heart is a martial arts club in Eppertshausen that creates a community for those often left on the edges of society. Founded by a former Yugoslavian Refugee, Erko Kalač, whose life’s work has been committed to ‘integration through sport’; Erko knows first hand what it’s like to be forced to flee and struggle to integrate into society as a Refugee. His dream is to only make the path easier for others. From this practice has blossomed an athlete with his own story, an athlete who continues to overcome the hurdles in front of him, and an athlete that will compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Director’s Note
This film is an exploration of human conditioning; how and why we are forced to redefine our outlook of the world we live in as a result of social, cultural and political factors. This is a cinematic character study as we present an intimate portrait of refugees/migrants living in Germany. Our protagonists are involved in sport, but each and everyday they are involved in their community. We ask the question - what is it that compels them to give so much towards the latter, when they face so much adversity? To walk a day in their shoes requires a cinéma verité approach, but the film is cemented in a poetic approach as we realise sport embodies so much of the refugee spirit.
At the heart of the story is a martial arts club founded by Ernes Erko Kalač, a Yugoslavian refugee forced to flee civil war in the 1990s. Prof Kalač used sport to find a new home, and used his education to push through the principles and the importance of integration through Sport in Germany. One outcome of that work is GKV Lotus Eppertshausen, a martial arts club providing a community for those often left on the edges of society.
From Club Lotus has blossomed an athlete with his own story - Wael Shueb left Syria in 2015 and his journey has shaped who he is today. His story is still unfolding and through a series of somewhat serendipitous events, he will now represent the refugee team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 - a linear piece of narrative that provides a classical character arch we can use to garner the attention of viewers, but also use as anchor point to explore the larger social-political themes of the story. Whilst Wael will represent the Refugee Team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, this is but a subplot to much greater challenges our protagonists face - war, flight and integration. It is through Wael’s sport, Karate, that we are able to draw striking parallels to his personal life throughout the film, and it is through his persona of athlete/coach that we are able to see the true psyche of this young man as a whole.
Compare for example, Wael’s journey from Syria and the Kata - the solo discipline of Karate. You have no teammates in the Kata; there are people competing for the same goal and helping one another, but ultimately the responsibility of success is solely with the individual. When on the mat, athletes need to have prepared and must be ready to execute a challenging, meticulous routine to be successful. There is no physical opponent in front of you, but your flurries must land with precision and you must always be alert and defend yourself at all times. Wael’s escape from Syria hits the same solitary notes.
The initial struggle of a refugee is well documented. The stories of regimes fled, the methods used to find safety - they are all incredibly humbling and inspiring. Our protagonists are no different and the film will touch on these journeys, but there are several other struggles - the one that happens when refugees arrive in democratic countries not at war. Olympic dreams being put on hold due to COVID-19 and whether or not you will compete in 2021 or ever again. What compels this athlete to keep going on and off the mat? And how does the pandemic affect the martial arts community, which is likely to be one the last of the sports re-established due to its tactile nature.
I have always found the cadence of the Kata particularly interesting. Flurries of acute aggression, followed by immediate stillness and silence. Wael’s account of his journey to Germany feels like several flurries, laced with moments of stillness - fear and loneliness. His account of integrating into the Hessen community feels like one long Kata performance - the effort and exertion to be part of a new community, woven amongst the heartache of leaving your family behind in Syria.
Karate makes its debut at the Tokyo games in 2021. Along with Surfing, Skateboarding and Climbing, Karate is a foreigner in a well established global event. It competes against more established sports for our viewing time, in fact most viewers won’t even notice it’s there. And yet, even before it’s had a chance to prove itself, the IOC has omitted it from the list of sports at Paris 2024 (retaining the three other new sports). If only we all knew what it was like to be a refugee - trying to integrate into a community that judges you all too quickly, often discarding you before giving you a chance.
We’ll explore the sentiment towards refugees following the international refugee crisis of 2015 and the subsequent global rise of the alt-right. What effects are these groups having on our communities? And how important does that make Lotus club to its members. We’ll spend time with a young karate practitioner, as they are mentored under Wael’s wing - navigating their new craft as well as the intricacies of being a non-native. Martial Arts provides people with a platform to develop character, not just on the mat but off it. In a study of the art of Kata, E. Sefer (2017) notes that a good practitioner should ‘fight and be brave and honest without fear’ - if there ever was a modus operandi for a refugee - this could be it.
Philosophically, Wael’s ambitions force us to question what dreams look like and how they change. Those in more privileged positions would never dream of ‘security’ - as they have not yet been forced to consider those rights worthy of dreams. Not in his wildest dreams would he think he’d be competing for a medal at the Olympics, but let’s ask this athlete what is more important to him, a medal or a safe home? Wael understands he is part of a much larger play and Erko will tell you that Wael has already won. He will tell you that the Lotus club has already won and that Germany as a whole has won, all because of Wael’s impact on the community.
The opportunity to follow Erko (coach) & Wael (athlete) in pursuit of a medal in Tokyo, opens up the film’s universe to the largest audience. Here our characters will join thousands of others, as they step foot on foreign soil attempting to prove themselves once more. When IOC president Thomas Bach talks about the games being postponed, he tells athletes to use the games as ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’, he forces them to overcome struggle and adversity, to be an ‘example of the human spirit’. This film seeks to humble, educate, inspire and empower - just like its protagonists.