After Rome, Beautiful Boxer will be screened at this month's 28th Hong Kong International Film Festival and the 47th San Francisco International Film Festival. At the invitation of the two Festivals, director Ekachai Uekrongtham will be in both cities to attend the screenings.

In between Hong Kong and San Francisco, Beautiful Boxer will have its Gala Premiere in Singapore on 14th of April at the Lido Theatre - with Singapore Prime Minister's wife Mrs Goh Chok Tong as the evening's Guest of Honour. Nong Toom, whose life the film was based upon; Asanee Suwan, the real-life kickboxing champ who plays her in the film; and the director will be present at the Premiere. Proceeds from this screening will be in aid of Action Theatre, one of Singapore's premier not-for-profit professional theatre companies.

The film will then be released in cinemas in Singapore by Shaw Organisation starting from 29 April 2004. Singapore is the first country where the film will launch its international theatrical release. This will be followed by theatrical releases in other countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

A recipient of the Singapore Youth Award and the Culture Award presented by the JCCI Foundation in Singapore, Ekachai was named one of the 20 Leaders of the New Millennium for Society & Culture by Asiaweek. He has also headed the Singapore headquarter of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, international producer of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Beautiful Boxer is Ekachai's feature film debut.

My first meeting with Nong Toom took place not long after she's had her sex change operation. Admittedly, I went to that meeting with some pre-conceived ideas about who she is, the boy she was and the man she used to be. She surprised me.

So here it is... a story of a human being who goes on an emotional journey to try to match his heart with his body. Masculinity vs. Femininity. Heart vs. Head. Dream vs. Reality. Fighting vs. Living."

-Ekachai Uekrongtham

One of the country's top kickboxers, Art has fought in more than 180 matches in Thailand and Denmark, and has won in most of them. Ranked No. 5 by the World Muay Thai Council in the 118 pound category, he was also named the Best Boxer by the Association of Muay Thai for the Northern Region in 2001.

Art spent more than a year preparing for the role. He attended acting classes conducted by Uekrongtham, learnt ballet, studied the intricate Likay (traditional Thai street opera) movements under the tutelage of Thailand's National Artist Boonlert Najpanich, and went through a personality enhancement course designed to groom beauty queens. He was also required to adhere to strict skin and body care regimes, and had to lose substantial amount of weight and muscles before filming commenced for several key scenes.

He is now a she. In real life, Nong Toom's dream has come true after undergoing a sex-change operation in 1999. Now a model and actress based in Bangkok, Nong Toom can no longer fight in the ring. Women are not allowed in professional boxing rings for men in Thailand.

Born into a poor family of nomads, Nong Toom spent his childhood traveling around the country with his family before settling down in Chiangmai province in the Northern part of Thailand. Prior to his big match in Bangkok in February 1998, he'd won 20 out of 22 matches in many provinces. He's feared by his opponents for his trademark swooping kicks, flying elbows and stinging uppercuts. His deadly prowess in the ring made it hard for the public to understand his ambition of becoming a woman.

Undoubtedly one of Thailand's best known kickboxers, Nong Toom is admired by many for his courage and despised by others who accused him of tarnishing the masculine image of Thai kickboxing.