Bangkok Film Festival off to a start

After a slightly rocky phase, the annual Bangkok International Film Festival takes place at SF World Cinema, Central World, Bangkok and the Pullman Hotel, Bangkok, 23-30 September, 2008.

This year’s event has a strong emphasis on regional films with a good selection of international films. The event organizers have partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand, the latter choosing the films on show. As usual, the event includes the Golden Kinnaree Awards ceremony, which marks “the highest creative achievement” in filmmaking.

The festival offers films with a range of themes, some highly controversial in their country of origin. The film list includes “Be Like Others”, a “fascinating look at those on the fringes of Iranian life”; Bird Song, a “free adaptation of Don Quixote”; Malaysian film “Day of Turquoise”; Indian film “Frozen”, which “depicts the life of this family whose dream like existence is interrupted by inevitable odds”; “Jay”, a story about a dead gay schoolteacher in the Philippines; Polish film “Katyn”, and Tomas Alfredson’s “Let the Right One In”, amongst many others from countries such as the USA, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Canada.

Aside from film screenings, the festival features a comprehensive conference and seminar programme. Highlights include a half-day demonstration of the latest digital cinema technology, including Dolby systems.

A seminar on the role of cinema in East Asia will explore the potential for growth in the region’s film industry and the role of film in promoting cultural understanding and harmonious relations between countries.

The Thai Film Production Services Association (FIPSA) will host a seminar exploring the future of the production services industry in Thailand, and examine ways in which it can grow through private and public initiatives. More information is available at http://bangkokfilm.org

The event kicks of 23 September, 2008 with an opening reception at SF World Cinema, CentralWorld, and closes with a closing ceremony at the sane venue on 30 September, 2008. Seminars will take place at the Pullman Hotel.