Programme 2019
The Art of Self-Defense
Director: Riley Stearns
fiction
India Premiere
Section: World Cinema
Country: USA | Year: 2019
Language(s): English | Time: 104 mins
Synopsis
After he’s attacked on the street at night by a roving motorcycle gang, timid bookkeeper Casey joins a neighbourhood karate studio to learn how to protect himself. But when he attends his instructor’s mysterious night classes, he discovers a sinister world of fraternity, brutality and hyper-masculinity.
Director's Bio
Riley Stearns is an American writer and director. His short The Cub (2013) screened at the Sundance Film Festival. His feature debut Faults (2014) starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Leland Orser, premiered at SXSW in 2014 and was released theatrically. He is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Renzo Gracie black belt Shawn Williams. The Art of Self-Defense is Stearns’ second feature.