Love of Siam leads Subhanahongsa nominees

The Subhanahongsa Awards nominees have been announced, and the top film is The Love of Siam, which has 17 nominations. The action-packed 1970s-set boxing drama Muay Thai Chaiya has 12. The slasher-horror thriller Body #19 has nine, while the homosexual romantic crime thriller Bangkok Love Story has eight nominations.

The Love of Siam, a gay teenage romantic family drama written and directed by Chukiat Sakweerakul has already won awards from Bioscope magazine, Kom Chad Luek and Starpics. It was heavily tipped to be the top nominee for the Subhanahongsas, which are given by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand and are characterized as Thailand's Oscars.

The Love of Siam is named in the top categories for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. It has also been nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Director, Best Sound, Best Song (two entries) and Best Score.

Notably, Chukiat doubles up on Best Screenplay nods, not only being nominated for The Love of Siam but also for Body #19, which he co-wrote with comic-book writer Ekasit Thairat. The same pair had collaborated on 2006's acclaimed psychological thriller, 13 Beloved.

Aside from The Love of Siam, Muay Thai Chaiya and Body #19, the Best Picture category is rounded out by the schoolboy documentary Final Score and the amnesiac transvestite comedy drama Me ... Myself.

For Best Director honors Chukiat faces competition from Pen-ek Ratanaruang who directed the marital drama Ploy. Pen-ek has always been overlooked for these awards. Newcomer nominees are Kongkiat Komsiri, who made his solo directorial debut with Muay Thai Chaiya and veteran actor Pongpat Wachirabanjong who made his directorial debut with Me ... Myself. Soraya Nakhasuwan made her feature film bow with Final Score.

Possibly the heaviest competition is seen in the Best Actress category, which this year boasts a number of veteran leading ladies: Sinjai Plengpanich for The Love of Siam, Lalita Panyopas Sasiprapha for Ploy, Marsha Wattanapanich for Alone, Woranuch Wongsawan for Perng Mang the Haunted Drum and Suwajanee Chaimusik for Seven Days to Leave My Wife.

Among the surprises was six nominations for Perng Mang the Haunted Drum, which was in and out of cinemas while I was out of Thailand in April. It's a horror film produced by Phranakorn, and has actually been released on English-subtitled DVD in Singapore.

Other films nominated that I didn't see are the romantic comedies Seven Days to Leave My Wife and Seven Days 24 Hours, the tranvestite slapstick fest Kung Fu Tootsie and the ghost story, The House.

One disappointment for me was no nominations for The Sperm, which I thought deserved a mention for Special Effects, or something. Gore hounds will want to check out the Special Effects nominees. They are all horror or action thrillers, including Sick Nurses, which I despised so much I actually have respect for now. I'm also a surprised that the King Naresuan films weren't nominated, not even for best costumes. I guess that Naresuan II was submitted for the Oscars was good enough for the Federation.

The winners will be announced on February 17 at the Siam Niramit Theatre in Bangkok. Hopefully this year the presenters will be tastefully dressed.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Picture

• The Love of Siam (Rak Hang Siam)
• Final Score (365 Wan Tam Tid Cheewit Dek Ent)
• Me...Myself (Khor Hai Rak Jong Jaroen)
• Muay Thai Chaiya
• Body #19 (Sop #19)

Best Director

• Chukiat Sakweerakul (The Love of Siam)
• Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Ploy)
• Kongkiat Komsiri (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Pongpat Wachirabanjong (Me ... Myself)
• Soraya Nakhasuwan (Final Score)

Best Screenplay

• Chukiat Sakweerakul (Love of Siam)
• Umpira Wongthamma (The Life of Buddha)
• Poj Anon (Phuean Koo Rak Mueng Wa or Bangkok Love Story)
• Kongkiat Komsiri (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Chukiat Sakweerakul and Ekasit Thairat (Body #19)

Best Actor

• Arak Amornsupasiri (Body #19)
• Ananda Everingham (Me ... Myself)
• Rattanaballang Tohsawat (Bangkok Love Story)
• Witwisit Hirunwongkul (Love of Siam)
• Akara Amarttayakul (Muay Thai Chaiya)

Best Actress

• Sinjai Plengpanich (The Love of Siam)
• Marsha Wattanapanich (Faed or Alone)
• Lalita Sasiprapha (Ploy)
• Worranuch Wongsawan (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum)
• Suwajanee Chaimusik (Seven Days to Leave My Wife)

Best Supporting Actor

• Songsit Rungnopakunsri (The Love of Siam)
• Chetwut Watcharakun (Rak Na 24 Chuamong or Seven Days 24 Hours)
• Komsan Nanthajit (Baan Pheesing or The House)
• Chaiwat Tongsaeng (Bangkok Love Story)
• Sonthaya Chitmanee (Muay Thai Chaiya)

Best Supporting Actress

• Uthumporn Silaphan (Bangkok Love Story)
• Chermarn Boonyasak (The Love of Siam)
• Sangthong Kate-Uthong (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Kanya Rattanapetch (The Love of Siam)
• Apinya Sakuljaroensuk (Ploy)

Best Cinematography

• Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Chankit Chamnivikaipong (Ploy)
• Tiwa Methaisong (Bangkok Love Story)
• Somboon Phopitakkul (Body #19)
• Jitti Ueanorakarnkij (The Love of Siam)

Best Editing

• Sunit Asawanikul (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Chatchai Katenut and Saranee Wongphan (Final Score)
• Vijja Kojew and Thammarat Sumethasupphachocke (Alone)
• Paween Phurijitpanya, Boonsak Wattanawisit and Surawut Tungkharak (Body #19)
• Chookiat Sakweerakul and Lee Chatametikool (The Love of Siam)

Best Sound

• Ram Indra Sound Recording Studio (Muay Thai Chaiya, The Love of Siam and Ploy - three nominations)
• Kantana Laboratory (Bangkok Love Story and Body #19 - two nominations)

Best Song

• "Parinippan" (The Life of Buddha)
• "Sin Siang Perng Mang" (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum)
• "Suan Nueng Khong Chan" (Alone)
• "Kan Lae Kan" (The Love of Siam)
• "Kuen Un Pen Nirund" (The Love of Siam)

Best Score

• Giant Wave (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum and Bangkok Love Story - two nominations)
• Chatchai Pongpraphaphan (Alone)
• Kaiwal Kulwattanothai (The Life of Buddha)
• Kitti Krueamanee (The Love of Siam)

Best Art Director

• Natsiri Setthakarnvijit (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Guru Team (Bangkok Love Story)
• Komkrit Chaknum (Body #19)
• Witaya Chaimongkol (Alone)
• Phisute Pariwattanakij (The Love of Siam)

Best Costume Designer

• Chatchai Chaiyon (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Nirachara Wannalai (Tud Soo Fud or Kung Fu Tootsie)
• Phra Nakorn Team (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum)
• Visa Kongka (Ploy)
• Ekasit Meprasertkul (The Love of Siam)

Best Make-up

• Rarin Soongsood-iam (Me ... Myself)
• Amarit Chokepreecha (Muay Thai Chaiya)
• Siwakorn Sookalangkarn (Body #19)
• Chawalit Siridejmongkolkul (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum)
• Witaya Deerattrakul (Opapatika)

Best Special Effects

• Sura-ek Thongpetch, Weera Sae-ueng, Julien Van Soenacker and Joaquin Nontserrat (Body #19)
• Sawate Eknarong (Perng Mang the Haunted Drum)
• Oriental Post (Alone)
• Triple X CG (Sick Nurses and Opapatika - two nominations)

(Via The Nation and Deknang)