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American Go Players Seek Support for Go Documentary

After several months of filming, AGA members making a new documentary about the game of go have just released a trailer and are raising funds to complete the feature-length film. "This film will cover all aspects of go and go culture, and we hope it will have a large impact in spreading awareness and interest in the game," says Will Lockhart 5D (at left in photo), who’s co-directing the film with Cole Pruitt 2k (at right). "The Surrounding Game" uses this year’s launch of the American professional system to explore the game and world of go. Lockhart, who co-founded the Brown University Go club, and Pruitt -- a Brown alum -- and their team have already filmed extensively at the 2012 Cotsen Open and Maryland Open, and will be shooting more footage at the upcoming Canadian Open, US Go Congress, and Pro Certification Tournament, before traveling to Asia in the fall. “Despite being the most compelling and fulfilling of all games, go remains almost completely unknown in the West,” the team notes. “By exploring the roots of go in Asia and the intensity of international competition, we want to give a taste of the beauty of go to everyone. From rules that a child can understand, to dazzling complexities too difficult for supercomputers that only the human mind can unravel, go has potential to take the Western world by storm.” The team must raise at least $15,000 in pledges by July 7 to collect funding for the doc through Kickstarter, and is offering a wide range of rewards for contributors, from DVDs to limited-edition t-shirts, mugs, boards signed by top professionals and more. “I think this film will tell an exceptional story about an exceptional game,” says AGA President Allan Abramson. “Your help is critical to getting ‘The Surrounding Game’ onto the silver screen!”