Thai Film Director Association Awards It Gets Better, 36

It Gets Better director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit gets a hug from the film's lead actress Penpak Sirikul on winning Best Film from the Thai Film Director Association. Photo via TFDA Facebook page.

The Thai Film Director Association (สมาคม ผู้กำกับภาพยนตร์ไทย) held its third annual awards last night at the Crowne Plaza Bangkok hotel, honoring It Gets Better as Best Film and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit as Best Director for 36.

The TFDA also awarded 36 and Kongdej Jaturanrasmee's P-047 Best Film runner-up honors and Kongdej was named runner-up in the Best Director category.

Nawapol, in Venice taking part in the Biennale College, shared his thanks via video.

Silver-haired helmer Chalong Phakdiwichit (ฉลอง ภักดีวิจิตร) was on hand to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Also known as Philip Chalong, he directed a string of gritty action films from the 1970s to the 1990s, among them such Hollywood-Thai crossovers as 1976's S.T.A.B. with Sombat Methanee and Mission: Impossible's Greg Morris, 1990's The Lost Idol with Sorapong Chatree and CHiPs' Erik Estrada and In Gold We Trust with Jan-Michael Vincent and Sam Flash Gordon Jones.

The TFDA ceremony also boasted music performances from such film-soundtrack-friendly indie acts as Desktop Error, Yellow Fang and P-047 star Apichai Tragoolpadetgrai's Greasy Cafe.

In all, eight titles were up Best Film. The other nominees were Super Salaryman, Jan Dara: The Beginning, Home, Seven Something and the animated Yak: The Giant King.

There other Best Director nominees were Kongkiat Komesiri for Antapal, Tanwarin for It Gets Better, ML Bhandevanov Devakula for Jan Dara: The Beginning, Chookiat Sakveerakul for Home and  Paween Purijitpanya, Adisorn Trisirikasem and Jira Maligool for Seven Something.

Previously, 36 and P-047 were big winners at this year's Kom Chad Luek Awards, but were flatly ignored by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand's Subhanahongsa Awards, which take place tonight. It Gets Better also scored a win at the KCL Awards and is the top nominee at the Subhanahongsas.

Still to come this awards season are the honors from the Thai Film Critics Assembly.

(Via Thai Film Director Association Facebook page)