Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Iron Ladies (Satree lek)

The Iron Ladies (Satree lek), Dir Youngyooth Thongkonthun, USA 2001

The Iron Ladies tells the true story of a Thai male volleyball team that won the national championships in 1996 with a team consisting mostly of gay men, drag queens, transsexuals and one straight guy. Mon, who becomes the team leader, was a very talented player who constantly failed to be selected for various teams because he was gay. Jung, Mon's best friend, also experienced the same treatment but was always more optimistic about things. Their chance comes when Coach Bee is selected to put together a winning team, and she announces that the team will be open for all to tryout. But when the coach selects both Jung and Mon to be on the team, some of the more macho players resign in protest. In order to form a team, the coach asks Mon to find a few of his friends to join the team. They select Nong, a gay sergeant in the army; Pia, the transsexual star of a cabaret show; Pia's boyfriend Chat; and Wit, whose parents don't know that their only son is gay. In the end, virtually the entire team is gay, an unheard of situation in Thailand.

Certificate: 15

Dir Youngyooth Thongkonthun

Cast Jesdaporn Pholdee, Sahaphap Tor, Ekachai Buranapanit, Giorgio Maiocchi, Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi

Running time: 104mins

Release date: 2001

Country: USA

Language: Thai w/English subtitles

Format available: 35mm/digi

Audience Award, Sydney Mardi Gras Film Festival 2001
Readers Prize of the Siegessaule, Berlin IFF 2001
Teddy Jury Special Mention, Berlin IFF 2001
Audience Award, New York Gay Film Festival 2001
Audience Award, San Francisco Gay Film Festival 2001

"a giddy feel-good comedy...A huge hit in Thailand, "The Iron Ladies" is the second-highest grossing Thai film ever." Stephen Holden, The New York Times

"A blend of slapstick and sentiment, and while the result may beshamelessly short on sophistication, it's still effortlessly entertaining. " Patrick Peters, Empire