Bangkok Film Festival opens room for optimism

The Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 (BKKIFF 2008), which wrapped on 30 September, featured a selection of mid-size, audience-oriented films with a regional focus. While the red-carpet night gave a touch of glamour, the core of the festival was the movies, which had real relevance.

BKKIFF 2008 was run by the Federation of National Film Association (FNFAT) and the Thai Film Directors Association and sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

In terms of audience turn-out, it was fairly impressive. Programming director Pimpaka Towira and her team took a risk by mixing some heavy arthouse films with potential crowd-pleasers, and viewers managed to follow the trail to find what they wanted.

Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona was the hottest draw, with four packed screenings. Lesser-known titles with strong appeal - the zombie flick Otto, the child-vampire drama Let the Right One In, the sweaty Serbis, the French costume drama The Last Mistress, the enticing Soi Cowboy - also saw full-houses over last week.

Meanwhile “difficult films”, either hard documentaries or movies

with an experimental flair, enjoyed fair turnouts. It would be hearty enough if films like Birdsong, the black-and-white nativity story with virtually no dialogue, or Years When I Was a Child Outside, an eccentric visual diary, had 30 people in the screening, but there were actually more.

In fact Birdsong attracted almost 100 people. The two screenings of Citizen Juling, a documentary about the Southern unrest, drew fat crowds of embassy people and foreign journalists, and the Q & A sessions were lively with the appearance of Kraisak Choonhavan, the main protagonist in the film.

The glitch, if any, was the Japanese film Children of the Dark which was banned at the last minute because of its depiction of child prostitution in Thailand. The cancellation prompted a flurry of interest from international journalists, and the film’s producers flew in from Japan to hold a press conference to tell their side of the story.

The focus on Asean movies was welcome (the previous editions of BKK IFF have paved the ground for this). Obviously there’s local interest in films from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, and Bangkok has the facilities and influence to become a cultural hub of regional cinema.

In fact, the city’s other movie festival, the World Film Festival of Bangkok, had a role in this too, hosting a co-production workshop for regional filmmakers with funding from France’s Produire Au Sud.

Artistic director Youngyooth Thongkongtoon and his team deserve accolades for their sterling work. While this year’s edition of the BKKIFF was smaller than in previous years, it was more personal and manageable.

Bangkok Film Market

The Thailand film industry concluded business of approximately US$500 million at the Bangkok Film Market, which was held as part of the Bangkok International Film Festival 2009.

According to Jareuk Kaljareuk, president of the Federation of National Film Association, about 100 global sellers participated in the Bangkok Film Mart, a matchmaking forum for film buyers and sellers.

Jareuk, also the festival director, said the event was also a great opportunity for Thailand to show foreign movie-makers and international guests Thailand’s safe environment and thriving tourism despite ongoing political protests.

The sixth Bangkok International Film Market was held at Siam Paragon, with 100 film industry professionals and 500 to 600 international guests participating.

The mart and festival took place alongside the new Thailand Entertainment Expo organized by the Department of Export Promotion.

According to Mr Jareuk, the Bangkok International Film Festival is currently ranked in the top 10 among 1,000 film festivals held around the world.

Renowned international filmmakers such as Roger Corman, Peter Chan and Iain Smith participated in the festival and shared their experiences at seminars, which enhanced Thailand’s ambition to become a desirable filming location.

Smith is one of the most experienced and respected film producers in the UK with over 30 years of experience. He has produced more than a dozen feature films, including the Academy Award-winning Chariots Of Fire, The Killing Fields, Fifth Element, and Children of Men.

Juthaporn Roengronasa, the deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the main sponsor of the festival, said the event presented to the world Thailand’s welcome attitude toward tourists, as media from 40 nations descended upon the Thai capital to cover the festival.

The Golden Kinnaree awards

Columbian terrorist drama PVC-1 by Spiros Stathoulopoulos won the Golden Kinnaree for best film at the Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 at a ceremony presided over by Princess Ubolratana.

Iranian film Those Three by Naghi Nemati was awarded the runner-up prize, while Chilean film Alice in the Land by Esteban Larrain and Jay by Francis Xavier Pasion of the Philippines took special jury prize.

In the Southeast Asian competition, a new section created to boost Bangkok’s role as a champion of regional cinema, the jury gave the Golden Kinnaree to Serbis by Filipino Brillante Mendoza. The second prize went to Days of Turquoise Sky by Malaysian Woo Ming-jin, and a special mention to Years When I Was a Child Outside by John Torres of the Philippines.

The BKKIFF 2008 , which saw an impressive turnout this year, ran from 23 – 30 September. The festival opened with big budget Thai film Queen of Lankasuka, helmed by Nonzee Nimibutr and closed with the world premiere of Nanayo by Japan’s celebrated auteur director Naomi Kawase.

Thailand Entertainment Expo

The Thailand Entertainment Expo, organized by the Department of Export Promotion (DEP), was held at Royal Paragon Hall, on the 5th floor of Siam Paragon, from 24-28 September.

The Expo served as a marketplace for film, music, multi-media, television, digital content and animation. 70 Thai entertainment companies, including big-name outfits, will put up around 130 booths to present their latest products and innovations during the four-day event. It ran as a sidebar to the Bangkok International Film Festival 2008.

It served as a trade fair for the entertainment industry, which was open to the public on the last two days. Rachane Potjanasuntorn, the DEP’s director-general, described the Expo as the “first event in the country to bring every entertainment sector under one roof to create something for everyone: a trade show, industry seminars, exhibitions, demonstrations of artistic talent, and business matchmaking services.”

It even featured concerts and performances by the Joe-Louise Puppet Theatre. Some of the seminars included “Marketing Online Games and Animation” by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); “What Hollywood Wants from Thailand” by Warner Brothers and “Idol Creation in Asia” by GMM Grammy.

Thailand Entertainment Expo is apparently modelled after the Hong Kong Entertainment Expo, which has grown in recent years into a lucrative, influential marketplace for entertainment companies around Asia. While Hong Kong benefits greatly from its proximity to China, plus its long-standing reputation as a financial hub in the South China Sea, the Thai attempt, though promising, has some way to go to prove its sustainability and international relevance. ASIAIMAGE