THAILAND: A FILM ABOUT TRANSVESTITE VOLLEBALL TEAM BECOMES SMASH HIT

Record ID: 637174

  • Title: THAILAND: A FILM ABOUT TRANSVESTITE VOLLEBALL TEAM BECOMES SMASH HIT
  • Date: 17th March 2000
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) TRANSVESTITE, SAICHON MONTHA SAYING: "It was exciting and surprising as nobody made a transvestite movie before. All we had was foreign movies. My friend told me Thais should have made this kind of movie long time ago."
  • Embargoed: 1st April 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: General,Quirky,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA61QL1WKK3WD1S6JA45592OU83
  • Story Text: A film about an extraordinary transvestite volleyball team has become a smash hit in Thailand since opening last week."Satree Lek", or Iron Woman, tells the true story of a team from the northern Thai town of Lampang that sprang from obscurity to win the 1996 men's national volleyball championship.
    The film tells the true story of a transvestite volleyball team which won the men's National Championships in 1996 and the movie has been proving a big hit with moviegoers - raking in 1.6 million U.S.dollars in the past ten days.
    "It was exciting and surprising as nobody had made a transvestite movie before," said transvestite Saichon Montha after watching the movie.
    "All we had were foreign movies.My friend told me Thais should have made this kind of movie long time ago."
    Makers hope the audience will understand the message and not brush it off as just another skit about "katoeys" as transvestites are known as in Thailand.
    They also hope the movie will bring the team the recognition it deserves - as well as entertaining viewers.
    The volleyball team still plays today in the minor league and although many of its original members have left, those still playing hope the movie will help earn respect for their sporting skills.
    The team complains that their players were consistently overlooked by national selectors because of their penchant for high heels and bright lipstick.Thailand's sporting conservatives were said to be worried about their image abroad.
    "I think this movie is good for us," said Nopadol Panupol, the captain of the team."It shows people care about us; it means they see some value in us, they didn't just overlook us."
    Transvestites have become part of the social scene in Thailand, but many complain they are only tolerated and not fully accepted.
    The last serious feature film to be made about transvestites appeared in the 1980s and was entitled "Phleng Sudthai" (The Last Song).It tells the tragic story of a katoey working in a cabaret who commits suicide after being jilted.
    The transvestite volleyball team remains something of a crowd-puller - with many spectators intrigued by a men's team that sports breasts and wigs off-court and yet can still thrash conventional opponents.
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