Empower Foundation (Thailand) presents: 'High Heels' and 'Reality Theatre' in Nipaluna/Hobart

Please join us for a one-night only viewing of Empower Foundation’s newest and first feature length film High Heels, and a special live performance of Reality Theatre followed by a discussion led by Empower themselves. 

General admission tickets are $15 and all profits will be sent as a donation to the Empower Foundation.

Sex worker admission is free and can be done via text or online registration. You can use a preferred name, ticket types will not be displayed and all registration information is kept confidential.

Event update: There will be dinner available for purchase! Empower are kindly making Khao Soi. Sex workers eat for free, $15 a bowl for allies. There will be meat, vegan and gluten free options. We will also have hot tea, and the Good Grief bar will be open with beer and wine.

Accessibility: Good Grief’s project space is wheelchair accessible via a ramp. The toilets are gender neutral but unfortunately inaccessible by wheelchair. The closest wheelchair accessible bathroom is located at McDonalds across the street from Good Grief. 

Safer spaces: Zero-tolerance for harassment of any kind. For the safety, dignity and respect of sex worker organisers, presenters, performers and guests, we ask that you leave any whorephobia at home. 

Event Schedule:

5pm. Opening time

5.15pm. High Heels film screening (90 mins)

6.45pm. Dinner and drinks break (Khao Soi, Bael tea + GG BAR), music in the Good Grief courtyard

7.30pm. Reality Theatre performance (30 mins) please no photography during performance!

8pm. Discussion with Empower (30 mins)

8.30pm. Event finish, Good Grief bar open till late for drinks

About Empower

We are a group of sex workers employed in work place, public spaces, and online. We have come together to campaign and advocate for the rights of sex workers under the Empower Foundation, established over 40 years ago. Our core demands and goals are to "decriminalize Sex Work and ensure sex workers have access to their rights." 

Our members include Thai, ethnic, and migrant sex workers. We find that 99% of sex workers are heads of families, supporting an average of four children, and 80% are mothers. Most have worked in various jobs before entering the sex work to earn enough income to support themselves and their families. Empower has sex worker leaders in three communities: Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Udon Thani. 

Our campaign to reduce stigma and build understanding, identifying sex workers as an integral part of society. We use art, performance, and community participation to showcase our identity and foster understanding.We opened our own bar called Can Do Bar, and at the bar we have a museum called This is Us, which tells the story of the work of sex workers in Thailand and the struggle of Empower over the past 40 years.Our advocacy work with the government is challenging, and we have sometimes been betrayed or abandoned by the government.

High Heels High Risk, the first film from the Empower Foundation, offers an uncut, uncensored look into the lives of three female service workers amidst the risks, power, money, and friendships of the sex industry. Directed by Pasakorn Sridangchan (Jake Pass), the film is unique from the sex industry community because it directly and frankly portrays "sex industry culture," allowing viewers to see and understand the lives, living conditions, and identities of these women. The film's main backdrop is Can Do Bar, a fair bar and a project of the Empower Foundation that aims to create a model establishment with comprehensive welfare benefits, fair employment, and no exploitation or bribery. A second special feature of the film is the supporting cast, all from the Empower Foundation. Whether you recognize them or not, you'll definitely see the Empower Foundation team on the big screen.

Honey (Kanyarat Sakroek), a freelance escort who works to support her family, is caught in a police sting operation. She meets Manow (Chutima Chankajornchai), the boss of a bar where she (Panrawee Samani) works, leading Honey to take a job there. However, the three women become entangled in a chaotic situation involving police, dark forces, and money that threatens to ruin their lives. 

Reality Theatre first premiered in 2017, with the second in 2024 in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Reality Theatre is a theatrical production based on the real lives of sex workers, narrated and performed by the individuals themselves. The performances utilize simple Thai and English, the language commonly used in daily work, with active audience participation. The stories explore themes that society may never have seen or experienced before. Performances were held in the actual hotels where the sex workers performed, receiving much positive feedback. One comment stated, "After watching the play, my perception of sex workers changed in less than an hour. This play was truly amazing!" This particular performance featured three sex workers, each with diverse backgrounds in terms of workplace, age, and experience.