A Martial Arts Documentary film about the vanishing art of traditional Kung Fu, presented by YMAA Publication Center.

NEEDLE THROUGH BRICK is a film about the struggle for survival of traditional art and culture in the face of a rapidly changing and modernizing world. The documentary is told from the perspective of Chinese Kung Fu masters living in Malaysian Borneo. The story explores the history and the art of Kung Fu and asks how cultural heritage can be kept alive in a world that prefers to forget about it's origins. 

Using rare interviews and compelling Kung Fu demonstrations, NEEDLE THROUGH BRICK bridges sensitive and intimate storytelling with sumptuous visuals, and a dynamic and powerful original score. This non-fiction film encompasses many of the sub-genres of documentary film, including historical, independent, educational, social and cultural documentaries. The personal stories and anecdotes of some of the last surviving traditional Kung Fu masters, along with the majesty and beauty of their skill, serves as reminders of the frailty of even the deadliest of arts.

"On the simplest level, it’s a film about the real deal Kung Fu master; not the ones we see in the Hollywood movies, that live on a mountain top with superpowers, but the everyday one that struggles to get by like the rest of us." — Joel Fendelman

“It’s excellent. One of the best martial arts documentaries to come out in years. My highest recommendations!” — Gene Ching, Kung Fu Magazine / YMAA

只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 (With perseverance, even iron can be ground into needle) -— ancient Chinese proverb

磨杵成針 (Mó chǔ chéng zhēn) — Kung Fu has been explained as "grinding an iron pestle into a needle"