The idea of producing a documentary film has been a combined effort by different people with different backgrounds. From practitioners, to film-makers to historians, “Closed Guard: The Origins of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil” is the culmination of a passion project by these individuals.
Our film is about retelling (or better, completing as best as our efforts allow) the history and development of the Japanese art of Judo turned Brazilian. Specifically, the birth of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and where it overlaps with the birth of its non-identical twin: “Valendo-Tudo” later rebranded MMA for an Anglicized audience.
The goal of the project is to bring to light and give due credit to those who, through a dedicated lifetime of preservation and development, made these arts a reality for millions of practitioners and fans across the World.
Our goal is merely to make this history accessible to a broader audience through film and, perhaps ambitiously, slightly change the perception we have of our own history.