Cheerleader Queens
Encyclopedia
Cheerleader Queens is a 2003 Thai film
directed by Poj Arnon
.
—Mod, Som, Kam-pang and Wa-wa—move from a rural town to attend St. Mary's High School in Bangkok
. Once there they try to join the school's cheerleading
team, only to be rejected because of their sexuality. Instead they join the school's struggling rugby
team, making friends with the other team members after they score a number of tries
in an important game.
Toey, another kathoey from the boys hometown, comes to Bangkok with the idea of forming a new cheerleading team, which they name "The Queen". From the start the boys have to face a number of problems, but with the help of their friends on the rugby team they manage to get to the finals of the national cheerleading competition.
reviewed Cheerleader Queens at the 2004 New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival
. He described the film as, "A fun date flick for all persuasions, with sexual content limited to a few chaste kisses and endless eye-batting innuendo, kitschy curio should perform cheerily on the gay fest circuit."
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
directed by Poj Arnon
Poj Arnon
-Career:Poj began his career in the 1980s as an advertising sales manager for Ter-Kab-Chan Magazine, eventually becoming the magazine's chief editor. His work on the magazine enabled him to scout out and groom many of the Thai teen movie stars of the era....
.
Plot
Four kathoeyKathoey
Kathoey or katoey is a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. Related phrases include sao praphet song , or phet thi sam . The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin...
—Mod, Som, Kam-pang and Wa-wa—move from a rural town to attend St. Mary's High School in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. Once there they try to join the school's cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
team, only to be rejected because of their sexuality. Instead they join the school's struggling rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
team, making friends with the other team members after they score a number of tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in an important game.
Toey, another kathoey from the boys hometown, comes to Bangkok with the idea of forming a new cheerleading team, which they name "The Queen". From the start the boys have to face a number of problems, but with the help of their friends on the rugby team they manage to get to the finals of the national cheerleading competition.
Reception
Ronnie Scheib of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reviewed Cheerleader Queens at the 2004 New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival
New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival
NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival put on by The New Festival, Inc., is one of the most comprehensive forums of international LGBT film/video in the world....
. He described the film as, "A fun date flick for all persuasions, with sexual content limited to a few chaste kisses and endless eye-batting innuendo, kitschy curio should perform cheerily on the gay fest circuit."