Cheering on the boys from Panyee

Sara Smeaton July 29, 2012 No Comments »

My husband and I took our kids to TIFF Kids this year, where they were featuring a series of short films all dedicated to soccer (or football as it is more commonly known in other countries). We went to see these films as a family and really enjoyed them all; but for me the best one by far was a film called TMB Panyee FC. You can watch it below.

This beautifully-made film (commissioned by the Thai Military Bank) is a true story about a group of boys living on a tiny floating fishing village in Thailand in 1986. They love watching soccer on television but have no place to actually play the game due to lack of space.

TMB Panyee FC

Director: Matt Devine
Year: 2011
Produced by: Arc Worldwide / Revolver Film
Format: Branded short film for web
Run time: 5 min

The way they solve this problem and how the story evolves is truly inspiring and will teach kids, and remind adults, that when left to their own devices children are capable of incredible things.

Adults are conspicuously absent except as cheerleaders from afar. There are no coaches, no soccer parents and no snack duty. It’s a good one for us to see in North America where our childrens’ sports are so “managed” by grownups.

I highly recommend watching this heart-warming short film (it’s only five minutes long) with your children. It’s a great lesson in thinking outside the box, tenacity and teamwork. Cheer on the boys from Panyee.