Bangkok International Film Festival adds SE Asia Competition, Special Program titles

Another batch of titles has been added to the Bangkok International Film Festival website, among them more entries for the Southeast Asian Competition and two films for a Special Program in memory of Malaysian director Yasmin Ahmad.

Warning: Before you browse the website, you might want to turn your computer sound down. In a classy move by festival sponsor the Tourism Authority of Thailand, every frickin' page has a Thai tourism ad embedded, so if you don't want to keep hearing boyband heartthrob Nichkhun's autotuned voice urging you "let's take a break", then hit your mute button or scroll that volume slider down. Don't say I didn't warn you.

For the Southeast Asian programme, they have added Independencia by Raya Martin, which has been building a good buzz since it premiered in the Un Certain Regard competition at Cannes. Also from Cannes is Here by Singaporean director Ho Tzu Nyen. It premiered in the Director's Fortnight. And there's another Filipino film: Aurora by Adolfo Alix Jr. These three titles are in addition to the already-announced Nymph by Pen-ek Ratanarung, Call If You Need Me by Malaysia's James Lee, Imburnal by Sherad Anthony Sanchez of the Philippines and The Moon at the Bottom of the Well from Vietnam's Nguyen Vinh Son.

One other Southeast Asian Panorama has been added: The Singaporean drama Female Games by Kan Lume.

A Special Program in memory of Malaysian director Yasmin Ahmad will include one of her best-regarded works, Sepet from 2004, and her latest film, Talentime. Ahmad died on July 25 at age 51 after suffering a stroke.

(Via Graiwoot on Facebook)