Harrowing documentary–directed by Vic Sarin and penned by Noemi Weis–focuses on attempts by human rights activists to reunite boys smuggled to Persian Gulf countries to work as jockeys in high end camel races.
To keep the minimum weight on the camels when they race, the boys are ensnared by human traffickers (who are often relatives of the boy’s parents) when they are very young, and then starved to keep them small. At one point, a 7 year old boy is weighed in at 20 kilos = 44 lbs whereas Ask.com says that ideal weight should be between 50 and 60 pounds.
There is no safe place to stand in this one. Even when they do get “home,” these boys (once tiny but now adolescents) are often exploited & treated as pariahs. (JLH: 3.5/5)
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Photo Credits?
Q: Does Desert Riders pass the Bechdel Test?
No, this film is about boys & although some adult women do appear around the edges (as grieving mothers, as human traffickers, & as human rights activists), their concern is always the fate of the male camel jockeys.
