BFF: Small, Slow but Steady 
Shô Miyake's little gem of a movie is shot on lovely 16mm and, as its title suggests, redefines that format to tell the quiet story, unmistakably based on a memoir, of a deaf amateur boxer, and the struggling but beloved local gym where she trains.
Boxing dramas have a way they're supposed to play out, with their rhythms matching those of a particularly exciting bout in the ring, in which bruising setbacks and personal challenges mount en route to an inevitable, triumphant final-round knock-out.
Hearing-impaired Keiko is a hotel cleaner by day, who surprises everyone, maybe especially herself, by winning her first two professional fights, after which her relationship with the tired-eyed owner of her shabby suburban gym, deepens and becomes an unusual kind of reward for them both.
The International Competition is sponsored by Yellow Moon.
Screening as part of the 22nd Belfast Film Festival. Please note: all tickets are sold via the Belfast Film Festival box office. If you have any access requirements please get in touch with the box office before booking: boxoffice@belfastfilmfestival.org.
For more information about the festival please visit belfastfilmfestival.org.
