The shocking reality of the American Film Market

The American Film Market gets under way today in Santa Monica, California, and several Thai films are scheduled for screening.

Among them is a horror feature that I've never heard of, Reality Shock. According to 24 Frames per Second, it is directed by Kapol Thongplub (The Letters of Death) and is based on the ghost-hunting reality-TV series Shock, which I am also unfamiliar with. This is the first I've heard of this movie, and I don't know if it has a release date for Thailand, but it's screening at AFM on Sunday.

Update: Deknang informs me via Twitter messages that the movie went straight to VCD in Thailand, where it's called Reality Shock 666 (อาถรรพ์ ๖๖๖). The movie is also on Facebook.

Sahamongkol is also there with veteran director Manop Udomdej's Vanquisher (Suay ... Samurai), which opens in Thai cinemas on Thursday. The studio has been promoting this flick for at least a couple of years now, so maybe AFM-goers will be anxious to finally see it.

The biggest Thai slate of AFM screenings is from Phranakorn Film, which is broadening from its roots as a solely a maker of corny comedies for down-home country Thais. For AFM, it's brought along the bloody psychological slasher-thriller Meat Grinder and the giant-snake action fantasy of Deep in the Jungle. And they're going to see what folks overseas think of flamboyantly cross-dressing teenage gays in Poj Arnon's sports comedy Sassy Players.

Five Star Production is well represented, giving buyers a look at Kongkiat Komesiri's Slice, which has had a disappointingly meager cut of the box-office take here in Thailand. A great film that deserves better, Slice will probably find a more eager and receptive audience overseas. Also from Five Star is Pen-ek Ratanaruang's forest thriller Nymph, which is actually being handled by Fortissimo.

RS Film is there, being repped by Golden Network Asia, with the bloody romantic thriller My Ex. Others are Kantana with the animated Khan Kluay 2 and Twentieth June Entertainment with Toranong Srichua's disaster drama 2022 Tsunami.

There's also the Hollywood-Thai co-production, the romantic comedy-drama Bitter/Sweet.