Freelance wins eight prizes at 25th Subhanahongsa Awards

Subhanahongsa winners, from left, Best Supporting Actress Violette Wautier, Best Actor Sunny Suwanmethanon, Best Actress Davika Hoorne, Best Director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit of Freelance and Best Supporting Actor Ingkarat Damrongsakkul of P’Chai My Hero. Nation photo by Chalinee Thirasupa.

Like pimples on its main character's back, more trophies are popping up for Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit and Freelance Ham Puay Ham Phak Ham Rak More (Heart Attack).

The indie writer-director's first directorial effort with a big studio swept up most of the prizes at the 25th Subhanahongsa Awards, the Thailand National Film Association Awards or Golden Swan Awards, which are Thailand's industry equivalent of the Oscars.

Freelance won best film and best director. Sunny Suwanmethanon was named best actor for his role as a freelance graphic artist who works so hard he comes down with a rash. Davika Hoorne took the best actress prize for her turn as the achingly lonely young resident physician at a public hospital who treats Sunny's overworked worker. And Violette Wautier took the supporting actress prize for her disarmingly droll turn as Sunny's character's graphic-arts agent and best friend.

Freelance also took the prizes for best editing (by up-and-coming young filmmaker Chonlasit Upanigkit, who also edited Nawapol's Mary Is Happy and 36, and was a double nominee this year for editing The Blue Hour).

But the screenplay prize was split between Freelance and another leading nominee and critical favorite, indie writer-director Kongdej Jaturanrasmee's Snap.

The tie was the likely result of an experimental new voting system instituted for the awards by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand. The Nation has more on that.

Snap also won for Recording and Sound Mixing (by Sarawut Phantha and Akrichalerm Kalayanamitr) and Art Direction by Rasiguet Sookkarn (another up-and-coming young filmmaker).

Another leading nominee was the indie coming-of-age comedy-drama How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) a.k.a. P'Chai My Hero. It won the supporting actor trophy for the remarkable performance by child actor Ingkarat Damrongsakkul, who was essentially playing the lead.

And much-deserved kudos were given to Uruphong Raksasad for The Songs of Rice, which won best documentary and, of course, best cinematography.

Another winner was the teen horror thriller Runpee, which shared the best song prize and won for visual effects. The movie marked the return to the industry by veteran director Wisit Sasanatieng.

Here's the list of winners:

• Best Film: Freelance Ham Puay Ham Phak Ham Rak More
• Best Director: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Freelance
• Best Actor: Sunny Suwanmethanon, Freelance
• Best Actress: Davika Hoorne, Freelance
• Best Supporting Actor: Ingkarat Damrongsakkul, P’Chai My Hero
• Best Supporting Actress: Violette Wautier Freelance
• Best Screenplay: Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, Snap, and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Freelance
• Best Film Editing: Chonlasit Upanigkit, Freelance
• Best Cinematography: Uruphong Raksasad, Phleng Khong Khao (The Songs of Rice)
• Best Recording and Sound Mixing: Sarawut Phantha, Akrichalerm Kalayanamitr, Snap
• Best Art Direction: Rasiguet Sookkarn, Snap
• Best Original Score: Hualampong Riddim, Freelance
• Best Song: Ther Dern Khao Ma from Runpee and Sud Sai Ta from The Down
• Best Documentary: The Songs of Rice
• Best Costume Design: Sukanya Maruangpradit, F Hiliare
• Best Make Up Effects: Methaphan Pitithunyapat, Phi Ha Ayothaya
• Best Visual Effects: Alternat Studio, Runpee
• Best Documentary: Songs of Rice
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jaroen "See Thao" Petchjaroen