Private Project

Rohingya Boy

ROHINGYA BOY tells the story of Noor Kabir. Born in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, Kabir was inspired by the movie ‘Rocky’ as a youth and risked his life to escape to Australia by boat. After becoming the world’s first Rohingya bodybuilding champion in history, Kabir now dreams of becoming Mr Olympia and representing his people on the world stage. To let the world know his people exist and give hope to those who have lost all hope.

  • Timothy James Bateman
    Director
    Debut
  • Brin Paulsen
    Director
    Debut
  • Anders Groenningsaeter
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 20, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • ABC (Australian National screening)
    National
    Australia
    August 14, 2022
    Australian Premier on Australian National Television
  • Finalist - Orion International Film Festival for Best Short Documentary

    Held in both Australia and Germany
    Finalist - Best Short Documentary
  • Tokyo Lift Off

    Official Selection
Director Biography - Timothy James Bateman, Brin Paulsen

This is Tim Bateman's & Brin Paulsen's directorial debut as emerging film makers. Having been writing partners for many years where they live in Brisbane, Australia, they have now made the transition to documentary making as co-directors. Anders Groenningsaeter (the third member of the team) is a Norwegian composer, who has provided an original score for this documentary. (More details about our team and photos etc. on our linked website)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

‘Rohingyas are often called the most persecuted minority in the world, unable to claim citizenship in a country that refuses to recognize them. Beaten, raped, abused, displaced, and killed, the Rohingya have fallen victim to the horrors of a genocide that the world is not watching.’
(Gabriella Canal – Globalcitizen.Org – 11/02/17)

As directors, we wanted to help Kabir tell his incredible and very personal story of survival and hope. To tell the story of his people. Kabir and his family deserve all the credit for this project, which we hope will not only entertain and inspire, but inform the public about the plight of the Rohingya people, who continue to suffer.

“Rohingya Boy” is a personal story with global roots; grounded in the geo-political history of Myanmar, of the ongoing persecution of an ethnic minority for over forty years.

Noor Kabir was born in a Bangladeshi Refugee camp, where he and his family struggled to survive. Without enough food or clean water, he struggled to have any hope for a life beyond the struggles and dangers that exist within the world's largest refugee camp. But when he was in his early teens, he decided to run from the camp into mainland Bangladesh, where he found people in a tent watching the movie 'Rocky'. What he saw was a kind of 'magic'. He had never seen a television before and seeing this movie created a desire in him to have something better in his life.

This was the beginning of a long and dangerous journey to Australia. After spending three years in community detention, he was released in Brisbane, where he found something he could do - lifting weights. With a dream to represent the Rohingya, he set himself the goal of one day becoming Mr Olympia.

With strict determination, he transformed himself, and in early 2021, became the world's first Rohingya body building champion by winning the Brisbane Classic. His win went 'viral' online, garnering millions of views and international media attention. It also generated a huge response from Rohingya people around the world, who see Noor Kabir as a Rohingya hero.

It is our hope to share this story across the world.