History
Based in Bristol, UK, Fighting Films is the World's leading producer and supplier of judo DVDs, videos and books for players and coaches. The company began producing in 1988 when it filmed the British Open Championships, but prior to this, director Simon Hicks had produced a one-off documentary about Neil Adams in 1981 called Ippon!
Having proved that judo looked good on TV, Fighting Films quickly moved into the supply of tournaments to broadcasters and in 1989 covered its first World Championships in Belgrade, the former Yugoslavia. Fighting Films pictures were shown across Europe on Eurosport and in the UK on BBC Grandstand. The 1989 Worlds was also the first time the company worked with the International Judo Federation (IJF).
This relationship has grown over the years and Fighting Films has since attended every World Championships & Olympic Games (from 1992 Barcelona), gaining IJF approval for its DVDs and videos.
From 1995-1998 Fighting Films and API Television (formerly Grand Slam Sports) were responsible for the TV coverage of all major European Judo Union Championships.
The GEEMAT tatami was first developed by the chairman of the company, Trevor Williams, in 1970. In 1998 GEEMAT became part of the Fighting Films group. It has been used for the British Open since 1984, the 2002 Commonwealth Games and many other international tournaments.
Fighting Films was appointed host broadcaster for the 1999 Hyundai World Championships in Birmingham, England. The company was responsible for all TV images being fed to the World. With a crew of over 30 people the project was completed in collaboration with the IJF TV Rights holders - Diamond Ad - to provide pictures for Japan, Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Star TV Asia & the BBC.
Shortly before the tournament Fighting Films had worked with Tagoya, the Spanish judo manufacturers, to produce a new range of top class and personalised judogis.
1999 World champion Graeme Randall was the first fighter to wear the new kit in competition. It has rapidly become established as one of the leading brands of international standard judogi.
Numerous British internationals have worn the kit, including 2005 World champion Craig Fallon, European champions Karina Bryant and Georgina Singleton, Commonwealth Games champion Winston Gordon, and is still the preferred kit of former world champions Nicola Fairbrother, Neil Adams and Randall.
Tagoya also became our DVD and video agents in Spain, and continue to sell our product today. They joined a reliable network of agents around the World that Fighting Films has been establishing for ten years, from as far afield as Australia and the U.S.A.
In 2000 Fighting Films acquired the judo publishing company Ippon Books from its proprietor and editor Nicolas Soames. Within a year the company became the Worldwide distributor of the IJFs book publications. In addition, 50 Great Judo Champions - the first title in hardback and colour - was produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the IJF.
The move into DVD production came in 2001 when Fighting Films released its double-sided disc of the Moscow Grand Prix. This has been followed by groundbreaking, multi-language, coaching DVDs in the past few years with some of the World's greatest fighters, including Toshihiko Koga and Ki-Young Jeon.
In 2004 Fighting Films strengthened relationships between the company and Britain's judo coaches by developing the Red Label Gi. Thousands of these kits are supplied to clubs around the country with attached club badges.
The company's first DVD only production, 101 Ippons 1999-2002, was released in spring 2005, followed by the IJF Coaching Series and 2004 Olympic Games in the autumn..
In April 2006 came the Fighting Films GB World Cup for women, which was hailed as one of the best judo tournaments ever to be held in Britain. As headline sponsors
Fighting Films not only shot and produced a 24 minute Sky Sports programme, they were largely responsible for the presentation and design of the event. The men's event followed in September 2007. This time FF presented the tournament as a live event. With a 20-person crew, six cameras, live action on big screens and a one hour programme on Sky, Fighting Films set the benchmark for judo presentation.
Fighting Films launched the Black Label Kit in the summer of 2006, with the catchline: 'A Mean Kit at a Mean Price'. The Black Label is a quality gi that won't break the bank. While being more expensive than the Red Label, it's almost half the price of a Master Gi.
The first widescreen production - the 2006 World Judo Team Championships - was released at the beginning of 2007, and was followed by the Fighting Films GB World Cup for Men.
The transfer from VHS to DVD began at the end of 2006 with the release of Adams and Briggs - Modern Competitive Judo. It was followed by the Grappling Series in the summer of 2007, which incorporated two VHS productions into one DVD. Many more titles are due to follow in 2008, including classic World Championships and Olympic Games.
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