Trailer of Heroes of the East (1978) Heroes of the East (aka Shaolin Challenges Ninja), released in Hong Kong on 30 December 1978, was directed by Lau Kar Leung and produced by Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Limited. The film won the Best International Martial Arts Film at the 25th Asian Film Festival. The contests between butterfly sabres and twin sai (a melee weapon used in Okinawa) as well as short tonfa and sansetsukon can be found in the trailer.