About the movie

In Madison, teachers and students create community as they train in martial arts and strive to make the world a more peaceful place. In a world full of violence, how do we talk about peace? Part dance; part religion; part samurai training; part chaos theory.

New Trailer (Mar. 2015):

Original Trailer (Dec. 2013):

“dojo: the story of an American aikido school” is in post-production, and this site is under construction, but good things are yet to come in 2015!

It takes a village – become part of the project! Donate today:




Donations of $25 or more will get you a copy of the finished film; $200 or more will get you the film plus a baseball cap with the title logo on it!

4 thoughts on “About the movie

    • Hmmmm… what’s the difference?! If I interpret your question correctly, I am looking to have this flow more, like a film – i.e.: there will be no voice-over (at least, at this point I’m doing everything I can to avoid going that route); hopefully it will flow from one section to the next and the audience will stay with it to the end. Since Aikido is not competitive, there is no “dramatic” “cliff-hanger” conflict arc – no contest where you wait with baited breath to see if your favorite characters make it through. I’m hoping the ideas put forth, along with some awesome footage (esp. the slo-mo stuff) will be enough to keep an audience engaged…

  1. Greetings from Santa Rosa CA.
    Just found a short article and video about your film project. Have you completed the film and if so how would I go about purchasing a copy. I’m sure my fellow students at our dojo in Santa Rosa would love to see it. I was very impressed with your film work especially the slo mo piece.

    Regards,
    Sean Connolly

    • Sean – thanks! I have not completed the film; at this stage, I’m in post-production; I hope to post some sections online soon, and when the piece is completed I’ll be making some decisions about distribution. I will add you to the list of interested folks so one way or another you and your dojo mates will get a chance to view it.

      in peace,
      – stephen

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