The Iron Ladies (Satree Lex)

Directed by Yongyooth Thongkonthun

Thailand

U.S. PREMIERE

Direct from Thailand comes an outrageous high-camp comedy immortalizing the triumph of a group of Siamese screaming queens who form a volleyball team, face down the odds and become national contenders.Ý Part Rocky, part Priscilla, and based on a true 1996 story, this Hollywood-slick yet completely Asian film celebrates these very unconventional sportsmen as they battle bigotry on and off the court.Ý Squealing cross-dresser Jung, pony-tailed and handsome Mon, muscle-bound but long-nailed horny soldier Nong, post-op transsexual Pia, closet-case Wit, and dyke-baited, ultra-butch Coach Bee form a rag-tag crew that are at first written off as pathetic by the other teams and coaches.Ý But the Iron Ladies persevere, staying true to themselves despite mockery and sabotage, and soon enough they're on an exhilarating rise to the top. Before the team forms, Bangkok is already the sex-change capital of Southeast Asia; once the Ladies have made their mark, the entire country is in wigs and, for better or worse, they have become a national spectacle.Ý Rest assured, the movie's message comes with plenty of fun, and the film never skimps on bawdy repartee, goofy sight gags, wacky volleyball action and even a musical drag number.Ý The Iron Ladies breathes giddy new life into both the screwball comedy and the "against-all-odds" sports movie genres, but its most extraordinary feat is in painting a suprisingly out, celebratory portrait of gays in Thailand.Ý Winner of two Teddy Awards at this year's Berlin Film Festival. In Thai with English subtitles.

7:00 PM Screening $10