Sanpeet Petnonnoi is a small, beautiful, unblemished, bronzed boy of seven years of age.

As is not uncommon in the poor region of northeast Thailand - the ‘Golden Triangle’ - where he grows up, he makes a contribution to the housekeeping money.

Sanpeet earns an income, and like him many other boys of his age, by kickboxing.

The Thai government turns a blind eye to the matches in improvised boxing venues.

Kickboxing was encouraged as a way of hardening young people against the temptations of opium and heroin, drugs that are produced and consumed in large quantities in this area.

But the sport is pervaded by the odour of another addiction: gambling.  The lower the weight of a boxer, the higher the stakes; this makes Sanpeet, with his sixteen kilos, an interesting opponent.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

there may be other movies worth watching at above festival.

There was a doco on TV recently that told the story of boy kickboxers in Thailand.  It was very interesting and from what I could see the young boys who participated were generally much better off.  The sport is highly respected in Thailand and the kids are well trained and enthusiastic. It keeps them off the streets and away from the deadly drug trade and gives them self esteem and most importantly some decent financial rewards to help support their often needy families and perhaps even to allow them a decent education. Wow that was a long sentence...