Erin Nordstrom

BEYOND THE FIELDS takes an in-depth look at the children who fight Muay Thai, the national sport and pride of Thailand. It examines the journeys of both rural families and the medical community, who share a common goal: a better future for these children. This documentary follows the daily life of families who live and work in the rice of fields of Isaan, one of the poorest regions in Thailand, and one that also produces the majority of child champions. Many of them entering the ring as a way to stay off the streets, support their families, and hopefully climb out of poverty. Meanwhile in Bangkok, neuroradiology professor Dr. Jiraporn Laothamatas and her team at the Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Centre study the risk and long term effects of repeated head trauma on the developing brain. The focus of their three-year research is to learn more about what happens in the brains of these child boxers over the course of their fights.