From 18 to 22 September, DKFFK brings its first Chinese Kung Fu Film Week to Copenhagen — five evenings, seven films, all at Grand Teatret. The line-up spans four decades of Chinese martial arts cinema, from Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972) and the 1982 classic The Shaolin Temple, through Donnie Yen’s Ip Man 4: The Finale, up to brand-new releases screening for the first time in Denmark.

The festival opens on Saturday, 19 September, with a night built around Blades of the Guardians. Doors open at 5:30 PM for a reception in the lobby — Chinese refreshments, a kung fu film soundtrack setting the mood, and time to mingle before the show. At 6 PM, everyone moves into the hall for a short welcome from the organisers and a guest from the Chinese Embassy, followed by a live martial arts demonstration on stage — Shaolin boxing, Tai Chi, Wing Chun and traditional weapon forms. If the cast can join us, they’ll say a few words before the lights go down at 7 PM sharp.

A village boy who came to Shanghai to make a living decides to enter the
‘Shanghai Fight Night’ martial arts competition to raise money for his
bedridden father. Representing the fading tradition of Chinese martial
arts, he must overcome not only his formidable opponents but also
prejudice and himself.

Release: 31 Jul 2025
Duration: 133 mins
Category: IIA
Genres: Action Comedy Animation
Language: Putonghua,(Chinese and English Subtitles)

Four generations of martial arts stars unite! Directed by Yuen Woo Ping,
icons like Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, and Jet Li come together for an epic
martial arts event. In the desert, many groups—including escorts, the
government, and merchants—are fighting for power. Dao Ma, A famous
bounty hunter, takes a job to protect a Man on the long road to the city of Chang’an. However, he discovers the person he is protecting is the
empire’s most wanted man, Zhi Shi Lang. Now, every greedy faction is
hunting them, and a deadly battle for the prize begins.

Release: 17 Feb 2026
Duration: 126 mins
Category: IIB
Genres: Action
Language: Mandarin,(Chinese and English Subtitles)

LEE Sam (TUNG Wai) was the undisputed king of stunt choreography
during the golden era of Hong Kong action cinema in the 80s. After a
devastating stunt accident, Sam steps away from the industry for 30
years. However, his old friend, a veteran director, has now persuaded
Sam to work as the stunt choreographer on what will be the director’s last film.
The only catch is that his film stars Wai (Philip NG) – Sam’s former stunt
crew member who has since become a famous action star in his own
right. Sam and Wai have a contentious history, with Sam’s infamously
overbearing and demanding personality clashing with Wai’s own ego and
ambition. By chance, Sam crosses paths with a young, ambitious
stuntman named LEE Sai Long (Terrance LAU), who sees this as an
opportunity to advance his career. Long is caught between Sam and his
former protégé turned rival. At the same time, Long helps Sam to
reconcile with his estranged daughter, Cherry (Cecilia CHOI).
As Sam returns to the world he once dominated, he must confront his
past, mend fences with Wai, and overcome their personal conflicts in
order to deliver an epic final action spectacle for the director’s swan song.
However, in the midst of shooting a robbery heist, Sam’s shortsightedness endangers the public, and members of his crew are arrested, causing him to be fired.
As the pressure mounts and the stakes rise, Sam must decide what he’s
truly fighting for—reclaiming his former glory or reconnecting with the
daughter he’s taken for granted.

Release: 26 Sep 2024 Duration: 114 mins
Category: IIB Genres: Action Drama

Internationally acclaimed martial arts star Jet Li made his screen debut in 1982 with Cheung Yam-yim’s The Shaolin Temple. The 19-year-old Li plays Jue Yuan, who seeks shelter in the Shaolin Temple after his father falls victim to a power struggle. Within the temple walls, he embarks on a journey of martial arts mastery. Unlike traditional portrayals in Chineselanguage
cinema, the Buddhist monks in this film, indulge in earthly pleasures like alcohol and meat. Nor do they adhere to the Buddhist commandment of not killing when facing the film’s villains. Played by real-life martial arts athletes (like Li himself), these monks add a sense of
authenticity to the film. As director, Cheung allowed his actors to choreograph their own actions before capturing these fight scenes using long takes. The Shaolin Temple inaugurated a series of Shaolin-themed
films in Hong Kong cinema, and catapulted Jet Li into the limelight, firmly establishing him as an action and martial arts icon.
(Synopsis copyright thanks to: Hong Kong Film Archive)

Release: 1982
Duration: 100 mins
Category: N/A
Genres: Action Drama
Language: Mandarin | Chi & Eng Subtitles

An Asian (Bruce Lee) in Rome uses whirling ‘nunchakus’ on a gang and
fights a karate champ (Chuck Norris) in the coliseum.

Release: 1 Jan 1972
Duration: 98 mins
Category: N/A
Genres: Action
Language: English version with Danish subtitles

Ip Man’s life remains unchanged after his wife’s death, but he and his son are slowing apart. To seek a better future for this son, Ip Man decides to travel to the U.S. only to find the stable, peaceful life abroad is only skin deep. Underneath lies a deep-rooted racial discrimination that is far worse than he has expected. Ip Man re-examines his position and ponders on the reason he took up marital arts in the beginning.

Release: 20 Dec 2019
Duration: 105 mins
Category: IIB
Genres: Action Drama
Language: Cantonese, English

Er Gazi was on the wanted list issued by the local authorities, prompting a knife-wielding outlaw to unveil the arrest warrant and pursue him relentlessly. On his flight from capture, the kind and pure maiden Liuye insisted on accompanying him, while the outlaw relentlessly pursued them throughout their journey. In the desolate, uninhabited desert, they unexpectedly encountered Captain Camel Rider, who, in his final moments, entrusted them with a wooden box containing documents that identified the outlaw as the target of the government’s manhunt. Here, integrity clashes with escape, love intertwines with destiny—what secrets lie hidden within this wooden box? Amidst the desolation of the desert, Er Gazi, wielding a curved bow and embodying masculine strength, and the fragile Liuye, who possesses genuine affection, find their rendezvous as fleeting as a dream. Together, they grip their bows tightly; the arrows are already drawn from their strings—the battle is poised for eruption, and the truth begins to emerge, echoing like the distant toll of camel bells.

Director: Gao Feng
Screenwriter: Gao Feng
Starring: Cheng Zining / Zhang
Yulong / Jiang Junyan
Genre: Action / Romance / Adventure
Country of Origin: China
Release Year: 2016
Running time: 90 minutes