THAILAND: The spotlight turns to focus on Thai cinema at the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival.

Record ID: 561084

  • Title: THAILAND: The spotlight turns to focus on Thai cinema at the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival.
  • Date: 23rd February 2006
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (FEBRUARY 17, 2006) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR. BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL RED CARPET PREMIER AT SIAM PARAGON, BANGKOK, THAILAND VARIOUS THAI CELEBRITIES AND PERSONALITIES WALKING DOWN RED CARPET (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS GUESTS AT BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OPENING WAITING FOR OPENING FILM SCREENING (7 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 10th March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA5G7OATKMN6JMSXIW7W1PWW9W3
  • Story Text: Despite a call by the country's Federation of National Film Associations weeks before to boycott the annual event, the fourth annual Bangkok International Film Festival opened on Friday evening (February 17) with a strong showing from local filmmakers and celebrities.
    At the gala opening held in front of the newest luxury shopping mall in downtown Bangkok, some of the more recognizable faces from the Thai film industry traipsed down the red carpet.
    Conspicuously absent from the glitzy event however were international big name celebrities. French screen legend Catherine Deneuve, who was due to pick up a Lifetime Achievement Award, and others on the guest list like Hollywood director Oliver Stone were due to arrive only later on in the festival.
    Perhaps it was apt then that this year's festival focuses more than ever on Thai cinema.
    According to organizers, Thai films are competing in almost all major categories of the festival for the first time this year, as compared to previous years where they were screened in a separate non-competitive section. Speaking to Reuters, Programme Director for the festival, Jennifer Stark says this reflects the growing strength of made-in-Thailand films world-wide, "I think if we looked at Thai films of the last 6 years, you realise how it's gradually come up. Now I believe you have a pool of very talented filmmakers who have taken that step up to be able to create films, who are able to participate in the international marketplace. So it's not just sort of regional specific programming to a Thai audience but it really does have an international flavour to it."
    Opening the festival on Friday was Thai film Invisible Waves, an atmospheric thriller directed by the golden boy of Thai art house cinema, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.
    In the running for the top prize at the festival's International Competition, the moody film is photographed by acclaimed Hong Kong based director Christopher Doyle, and had just had its world premiere at the prestigious 56th Berlinale in Berlin, the first Thai film at the festival in 46 years.
    In an interview with Reuters, the Thai director admitted the international film community is slowly but surely beginning to sit up and notice Thai films, and the payoffs from this are mostly practical. "For me, the only thing that if a Thai film can go abroad, it only means that Thai investors might be willing to give a chance to a film that is too risky in this country."
    But in a country that embraces safe cinematic formulas, Ratanaruang says it's still difficult to get a sole investor to fund art house productions like his.
    Getting round this may mean more international co-productions down the line for Thai cinema and especially art films. The making of Invisible Waves for instance involved at least four countries, including Japan and South Korea.
    And Thai films may be making waves in the international festival circuit, but Ratanaruang says there's still some way to go for real international success.
    "The fact that Thai films are more noticeable abroad now is a good thing. but we just have to be careful not to hype ourselves up and to believe what's untrue. We've made interesting films in the last seven years, five years.
    Thailand has made some interesting films. but we haven't made a great film, so we have to do that."
    In all, the festival will see two Thai films competing in the International and ASEAN categories, and five in the Short Film competition. Twelve films are also being shown out of competition.
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