Tunisia Way

Tunis, March 24, 2008 (TunisiaOnline)--The first screening of a documentary film dubbed “the Desert Samourai” by the filmmaker Mokhtar Laajimi, was shown on Sunday in a hotel in Sousse .

The movie which highlights the career of Sadok Kouka, a Tunisian kyokushinkai –karate (full contact karate) world champion, took one year to shoot.

The 52 minute-long, documentary movie, features the moving account of Kouka's sportive prowess in Holland , Sweden and Japan , where he won the world title in 1986, after defeating his illustrious Japanese competitors.

The choice of the title is significant as it purports to show that a child from the Arab world with enough talent and ambition, is likely to shine in a highly technical sport that is especially practised as a sport for the masses in Asian countries and especially in Japan .

Sadok Kouka who has trained generations of Tunisian champions, is currently the president of the Tunisian karate federation, and the filmmaker Mokhtar Laajimi has shot various documentary films on the history of Tunisia , and on several oriental artists. His latest movie tells the story of “l'Etoile Sportive du Sahel”, one of Tunisia 's leading football teams.