The documentary by Irkutsk journalist Pyotr Neupokoev, Married to Budo, was named best at the International Sports Film and TV Festival in Yakutsk. It tells of a 24 hour martial arts marathon in Irkutsk, an extreme outdoor tournament that has become a sports cult.

The documentary film by Irkutsk journalist Pyotr Neupokoev, “Married to Budo,” was named the best at the International Festival of Sports Film and Television. The festival of documentary films on sports themes was held on July 4–6 in Yakutsk as part of the all-Russian sports forum “Russia — a Sporting Power” under the patronage of the President of Russia. Of 150 themed films from all corners of the globe, 30 were selected for the competition program. The Irkutsk film about the martial arts marathon, which is held annually in Irkutsk, was named the best in the “Promotion of Sport” category, ahead of films by colleagues from Ryazan and St. Petersburg. The journalist himself has been practicing traditional karate for 22 years and has been training students for 15 years.
The film “Married to Budo” is an “inside view”; it is devoted to the main Irkutsk tournament among martial arts athletes (karate, aikido, hand-to-hand combat, and others). The nonstop 24-hour combat marathon is held every year in September outdoors, regardless of the weather. For example, in 2009 the fighters held bouts literally under the snow, and at the same time an official Russian record was set — 10,000 bouts in 24 hours, with 100 of the best fighters entering the Russian Book of Records. Over four years, the extreme competition has practically become a cult, and the film tells about what the Irkutsk fighters go through and what they sacrifice in order to take part in this grueling sporting contest.
Pyotr Neupokoev and his colleagues from the NTS TV company (2 cameramen, an editor, and a designer) spent 4 years filming their movie — from the first day these competitions existed. They looked for heroes, wrote the script, and tried to convey the emotions and spirit of this cult sporting event through video. The film has already been shown in Irkutsk, Novosibirsk (at the Siberian Children’s and Youth Martial Arts Festival as part of the “SPORTSIB 2009” exhibition), Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, and Yakutia. The team is now working on English subtitles, since the jury of the International Festival of Sports Film and Television recommended the film for participation in the International Sports Film Festival Sports Movies & TV in Milan.