Kino Lorber nabs rights to kung fu comedy The Invisible Fight

Kino Lorber has acquired from LevelK North American distribution rights to The Invisible Fight (Nähtamatu võitlus), described as an Estonian heavy metal kung fu comedy written and directed by Rainer Sarnet (November). The Invisible Fight had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and will next play at Fantastic Fest and the Sitges Film Festival, followed by theatrical, digital, and home video releases by Kino Lorber in 2024. The film stars Ursel Tilk, Kaarel Pogga, Ester Kuntu, Indrek Sammul, Mari Abel and Maria Avdjushko.

The latest film by Estonian writer/director Rainer Sarnet, who directed the breakout black and white folk horror November in 2017, The Invisible Fight is a satirical take on the martial arts film, paying tribute to the genre’s Chinese wuxia roots through a Northern European story.

The Invisible Fight takes place at the USSR-China border in 1973. Young soldier Rafael is on guard duty when the border falls under attack from flying Chinese kung fu warriors, leaving him the sole survivor. Utterly fascinated by the long-haired martial artists who easily dispatched his fellow guards, all while blasting forbidden Black Sabbath music from their portable radio, Rafael is struck by a revelation – he wants to become a kung fu warrior himself. Looking for mentorship but with limited options, faith leads Rafael to seek martial arts teachers at one of the unlikeliest places – the local Eastern Orthodox monastery, where the black-clad monks begin his training. With a skeptical mother, a rival monk, and a budding love interest pulling him in different directions, Rafael finds that his journey to unlock the greatest martial art of all – the almighty power of humility – is long, winding, and full of kick-ass adventures.

The Invisible Fight is a Homeless Bob production, in co-production with White Picture, Neda Film, and Helsinki-Filmi. The film is produced by Katrin Kissa, executive produced by Rain Rannu, Hiroko Oda, Mami Akari and Yohann Comte, and co-produced by Alise Ģelze, Amanda Livanou and Helen Vinogradov.