Building Champions -- Son's Taekwondo Documentary

Documentary made for RTA 994 at Toronto Metropolitan University

Producer: Ryan Frelich
Director of Photography: Charlie Schmiedchen
Writer: Matteo Colosimo
Editor: Samuel Brezovsky

Born and raised in South Korea, T.H Son was moulded into the life of a Taekwondo athlete. He lived and breathed Taekwondo, determined to become the best in the world. After winning the 1975 Taekwondo World Championships in Seoul, and the 1976 Asian Championships in Melbourne, he decided to move to Canada to give his family a better life. 

He would then go on to make a Taekwondo school in Vaughan, Ontario called Son’s Taekwondo. With the school being around for 14 years and allowing people of all ages, it has created a tight-knit community. Through different tournaments, demonstrations, and events, the school's students represent Son’s Taekwondo's main goals. 

With his son Sungmin, Son has ensured Son’s Taekwondo emphasis is on physical fitness, character development and self-defence, rather than fighting. Teaching these ideas through Taekwondo with the hopes that their students will bring these lessons to real life and become better athletes but more importantly, better people. With interviews from himself, his son Min, his wife Kyung Sook Kim, and his long-time students Julian Bertone, Rachel Cuma, and Julia D’Angelo.

“Building champions in the ring, building champions in life”- Grandmaster Tae Hwan Son.