Pee Mak leads nominees in 23rd Subhanahongsa Awards

The record-breaking box-office smash Pee Mak Phra Khanong continues its domination into awards season, leading the Thai film industry's biggest trophy parade, the Thailand National Film Association Awards, a.k.a. the Subhanahongsa Awards (รางวัลภาพยนตร์แห่งชาติ สุพรรณหงส์) or Golden Swans, with nominations in 13 out of 15 categories, including best picture, director, screenplay and lead actress.

Critically acclaimed indie films, the teen dramas Tang Wong and Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy scored 10 nods each, including best picture, director and screenplay. And the epic studio teen comedy-drama, Grean Fictions, also has 10 nods, including best picture, director and screenplay.

Nominated writer-directors are Banjong Pisunthanakun for Pee Mak, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit for Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy, Kongdej Jaturanrasmee for Tang Wong and Chookiat Sakveerakul for Grean Fictions.

Celebrated director Pen-ek Ratanaruang is nominated along with Pasakorn Pramoolwong for their political documentary Paradoxocracy, which has three nods, including best picture.

But it's teen movies that rule, including the schoolgirl ghost tale Last Summer with six nods.

The wartime romance Koo Kam had five nominations, including best actor for soap hunk Nadech Kugimiya, one of a large crop of teen and twentysomething stars and starlets this year. Young leading man Pattadon "Fiat" Jan-ngern is nominated for his debut role in Grean Fictions and former child star Jirayu La-ongmanee is a nominee for Last Summer.

Actress nominees include Pee Mak's Davika Hoorne, troubled teenager Suthata Udomsilp and the Mary Is Happy pair of Patcha Poonpiriya and Chonnikan Netjui.

A notable snub was Mario Maurer, who went unrecognized for his turn as the title characters in both Pee Mak and in Jan Dara: The Finale.

Pee Mak has 15 nominations in all, including supporting-actor nods for three of the four bumbling friends of Mak.

Other nominees include the romantic comedy Love Syndrome, the teen slasher Thongsuk 13, the Japanese haunted-island yarn Hashima Project, the cabaret-dancer drama Nang Fah and Tony Jaa's martial-arts actioner Tom-Yum-Goong 2, all with two nods apiece.

The nominations are the result of a new voting process instituted by Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand president Visute Poolvoralaks. Dubbed "R+O", the "referee plus open" system aimed to involve some 1,500 members of the film industry, who would vote on the various categories they had expertise in. About half that number voted, with many excusing themselves from the process because they hadn't seen all the films. The "referee" element had the usual industry jury vetting the "open" portion of the voting and carrying most of the weight as the finalist nominees were named.

A story in The Nation today explains more.

The 23rd Subhanahongsa Awards (informally the "Thai Oscars") will be handed out on February 23 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya.


BEST PICTURE

• Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Grean Fictions
• Tang Wong
• Prachatipathai (Paradoxocracy)

DIRECTOR

• Banjong Pisunthanakun, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Chookiat Sakveerakul, Grean Fictions
• Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, Tang Wong
• Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Pasakorn Pramoolwong, Paradoxocracy

SCREENPLAY

• Nontra Kumwong, Chantawit Thanasewee and Banjong Pisunthanakun, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Chookiat Sakveerakul and Niwaruj Teekaphowan, Grean Fictions
• Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, Tang Wong
• Manachaya Panitsarn, Worakorn Virakun, Virasinee Raungprchaubkun, Kimhan Kanchanasomjai and Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Love Syndrome

ACTOR

• Nadech Kugimiya, Koo Kam
• Pattadon Jan-ngern, Grean Fictions
• Chinawut Indracusin, Thongsuk 13
• Jirayu La-ongmanee, Last Summer
• Phakhin Khamwilaisak, Love Syndrome

ACTRESS

• Davika Hoorne, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Lalita Panyopas, Prayoke Sanya Rak
• Patcha Poonpiriya, Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy
• Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Hashima Project
• Suthata Udomsilp, Last Summer

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Pongsathorn Jongwilas, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Nattapong Chartpong, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Auttarut Kongrasri, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Chaiyapol Julien Poupart, Jan Dara: The Finale
• Nutthasit Kotimanuswanich, Tang Wong

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Bongkot Kongmalai, Nang Fah (Angels)
• Ratha Pho-ngam, Nang Fah (Angels)
• Chonnikan Netjui, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Laknara Piatha, Grean Fictions
• Jenjira Jamniansri, Grean Fictions

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Narupon Chokkanapitak, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Sayompoo Mukdeeprom, Last Summer
• Pairach Khumwan, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Panom Promchat, Jan Dara: The Finale
• MR Umpornpol Yugala and Saran Srisingchai, Tang Wong

FILM EDITING

• Thammarat Sumethsupachok, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Chonlasit Upanigkit, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Max Tersch, Paradoxocracy
• Manussa Warasingha and Kamonthorn Ekwattanakit, Tang Wong
• Chookiat Sakveerakul and Jirasak Jakrawan, Grean Fictions

RECORDING AND SOUND MIXING

• Kantana Sound Studio, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Ram Indra Sound Mixing Studio, Tom-Yum-Goong 2
• Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr, Paisit Panpruegsachart and Teekhadet Vucharadhanin, Tang Wong
• Jettapol Khan, Body Slam Nang Len
• Kantana Sound Studio, Grean Fictions

ORIGINAL SONG

• Sao Karaoke, Namfon Pakdee, Karaoke Girl
• Hideko, Yusuke Namikawa, Koo Kam
• Yuewya, Cin Thosaporn Achawanantakul, Last Summer
• Young Bao, Carabao
• Dad Lom Fon, Sua Krong Band, Grean Fictions

ORIGINAL SCORE

• Chatchai Pongprapapan and Hualampong Riddim, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Chatchai Pongprapapan, Jan Dara: The Finale
• Somsiri Sangkaew, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Chaibandit Peuchponsub, Apichai Tragoolpadetgrai and Yellow Fang, Tang Wong
• Hualampong Riddim and Wichaya Wattanasab, Last Summer

ART DIRECTION

• Akradej Kaewkote, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Patrick Meesaiyati, Jan Dara: The Finale
• Rasiguet Sookkarn, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy
• Rasiguet Sookkarn, Tang Wong
• Sarid Noomahan, Grean Fictions

COSTUME DESIGN

• Suthee Muanwaja, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Vorathon Krisanakalin, Koo Kam
• Athit Thriakittiwat, Jan Dara: The Finale
• Cattleya Paosrijaroen, Tang Wong
• Peem Umaree, Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy

MAKEUP

• Pichet Wongjansom, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Amarit Chokprecha and Metapan Pitithanyapat, Last Summer
• Montri Watlaiad, Jan Dara: The Finale
• Montri Watlaiad, Koo Kam

VISUAL EFFECTS

• Oriental Post, Pee Mak Phra Khanong
• Sasee Company, Thongsuk 13
• Color Boy Film, Post Service, The Common Is, Aiyara Animation and Studio, Weative Studio and Kittipong Umplord, Koo Kam
• Surreal and Thossaporn Poonnart, Tom-Yum-Goong 2
• Kantana Post Production, Hashima Project