“My days of messing around on the streets are over, but I'm still fascinated by group mechanisms and why some of us end up good, and some of us so bad,” says director Bart van den Aardweg of his heavy-hitting documentary North East Hard West. “I grew up in the same kind of neighborhood as these boys, and I see some charm in this street culture I recognize from my own young (and stupid) days.���

“I'm fascinated by group mechanisms and why some of us end up good, and some of us so bad”

Following the ups and downs of a group of young Dutch kickboxers in the economically disadvantaged Amsterdam West area of the city, Van den Aardweg’s film illustrates the critically important role that the club plays in keeping the young men off the streets. “The western parts of Amsterdam are considered to be out of control,” explains the filmmaker. “This is why I went there, to find warmth at a place where you least expect it.”

At the heart of the film is trainer and gym owner Nourdin El Otmani, a seven-time kickboxing world champion who pushes his protégées to the limit. “When I first met him we were watching the kids train from the bench. After two hours some of them were puking or were out of breath, and he told me, ‘Next week we'll push them a little further,’” says Van den Aardweg.

“The western parts of Amsterdam are considered to be out of control”

Regarding our seemingly unwaning desire to see pugilism on film, from Raging Bull to Jake Gyllenhaal's current blockbuster, Southpaw, Van den Aardweg is philosophical. “I'm a romantic, but most people watching this sport are there to see somebody go down. For the fighters, though, it's something else,” he muses. “The walk towards the ring symbolizes the life that is still to come for the youngster, and coming back to the gym after being flattened the day before – this is reality. Instead of just walking away they have to deal with the same shit everyday, and at a certain point they will overcome it.”

James Wignall is Copy Chief at NOWNESS.