Small, Slow but Steady

Keiko is a young woman with a hearing impairment, but that does not stop her from dreaming of a career as a professional boxer. Despite the great challenge, she spends every spare minute in the ring, where she stands her ground thanks to her dedicated coach. But when not only her trusted boxing club threatens to close down because of the corona pandemic, but also her coach begins to ail with his health, fear strikes around her heart. She doesn't dread the next fight, but she is having great difficulty in fathoming herself and her motivations.

Small, Slow but Steady is an intimate portrait of a headstrong young woman searching for her willpower to box. Director Shô Miyake based the story loosely on the autobiography of Keiko Ogasawara, Japan's first professional female boxer with a hearing impairment. His character study, shot on beautiful 16mm, has won several awards, including the Jury Award at CinemAsia in 2023.