Mario Maurer wins best actor at Cinemanila

The 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival has handed out its awards, and winning best actor in the Southeast Asian Competition was Mario Maurer in Love of Siam.

Director Chukiat Sakweerakul's gay teen romance and family drama was among seven films in the Manila fest's competition. Mario portrays Tong, a boy from a troubled Roman Catholic family whose sister has disappeared, his father has turned into a catatonic alcoholic, he is in an unfulfilling relationship with a girl named Donut and now his rekindled relationship with his best friend from childhood is giving his mother fits.

Earlier this year, Mario had been a nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the 2nd Asian Film Awards. Love of Siam is Thailand's submission for the Oscars.

Here is the list of winners in the Southeast Asian Competition:

• Best SEA Short: Frou Frou ... Shh Wag Mong Sabihin Kay Itay, by Michael Juat
• Best SEA Film: Confessional by Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Dahis Antipuesto (Philippines)
  
• Best Actor: Mario Maurer for Love of Siam (Thailand)
• Best Actress: Anita Linda for Adela (Philippines)

The top Lino Brocka Award Grand Prize went to The Band’s Visit from Israel. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela by Olaf De Fleur Johannesson.

The honorees get a really cool statuette.

Jurors for the SEA Competition were Wong Tuck Cheong, president of the Malaysian Film Club (Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur and a board member of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC); Filipina actress Ana Capri and Australian-Filipino actor Kenneth Moraleda. He won the Vic Silayan Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lucky Miles,which was in the main competition.

Thai filmmaker Pimpaka Towira served on the Digital Lokal Competition jury with Lav Diaz - returning a favor after Diaz sat on the jury of this year's Bangkok International Film Festival, which Pimpaka co-programmed. Diaz' latest film Melancholia was in the main compeition where it won the best actress award for the performance by Angeli Bayani.

The festival website has the complete list of winners, as does Mukamo Philippines. Screen Daily has a report too.

The 10th Cinemanila Film Festival continues until October 29.

(Thank you BkkDreamer!)

Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, the katoey filmmaker

Tanwarin Sukkhapisit is a katoey - a transgender person. And the Thai pejorative "dtoot" - derived from the Dustin Hoffman film Tootsie, for a man who dresses as a woman - does not bother her.

But what Tanwarin identifies herself as first and foremost, I think, is filmmaker. And her films are good.

Tanwarin was the winner of the top-prize R.D. Pestonji Award at this year's Thai Short Film and Video Festival with her I’m Fine Sa-Bai-Dee Kah, in which she installed herself in a cage near Bangkok's Democracy Monument, making a statement about society, politics and culture that is way more profound than any of the stunts David Blaine pulls.

I missed I’m Fine Sa-Bai-Dee Kah - I hope I get to see it sometime. But I did see Tanwarin's other film in the fest, Where's My Doll?, which was part of the Inspired by R.D. Pestonji program. Out of the whole package, I enjoyed hers the most - I thought that it best captured the essence of all of Pestonji's films. Remarkably, the director had said beforehand "I have never seen Ratana's works before. However, when I read his biography and films' information, I feel connected." Where's My Doll? won a special mention in the festival.

Earlier this year one of Tanwarin's shorts, Timeless memory and everything I've done for you was screened at the 3rd Sapporo International Short Film Festival.

Last year, I saw her feature, Phone Mood, which was screened as part of the 11th Thai Short Film and Video Festival's Digital Forum. I thought it made a lot of brilliant, entertaining observations on cellphones and society.

And Tanwarin isn't strictly indie. Last year, she had a flamboyant supporting role in Taweewat Wanta's supremely wacky comedy for Sahamongkol, The Sperm, playing a member of a heavy metal band who gradually transforms into a woman throughout the course of the film.

Anyhow, I write all this as a way of pointing to an interview with Tanwarin in BK Magazine. Also, Deknang has reprinted an interview and has loads of pictures.

In the BK Magazine Q&A, the candidate for a master's degree in performing arts reveals that she also works as an acting coach for two upcoming movies: Rachen Limtrakul's 4 Romances segment Joop (Kiss) with Love of Siam heartthrob Mario Maurer, and Nak Tae Teen Raberd, Poj Arnon’s upcoming teen football comedy.

Ghost stories from the set of The Coffin

Just about every horror movie made in Thailand has a story or two about a ghost on the set, which the cast and crew will dutifully spin for the media during the film's promotional blitz.

The Coffin is no different, and as Ekachai Uekrongtham's horror thriller gets set to open in Singapore and Malaysia over Halloween weekend, the chilling tales of the haunted filming location are being recounted.

Channel NewsAsia has more:

The movie locations included real cemeteries, an active crematorium chamber and a 100-year-old Thai temple.

An elaborate religious ceremony was performed before filming began, to ask permission from the gods and to apologise for any possible wrongdoings by the cast and crew.

Despite this, there were still events that spooked them.

Ekachai said, "Our director of photography went to (the) toilet when we were shooting in a 100-year-old temple and there was a voice in the next cubicle telling him to just go, leave. So that day we left very early.”

With the theme of death running through the film, different measures were taken to make the international cast feel comfortable.

Ekachai said, "Like Karen Mok from Hong Kong, you have to give her a red packet with some money every time she finishes shooting a scene that involves dying or death.

“We have (another) actor from Hong Kong… Andrew from Hong Kong… and we have to give him some money, put it inside his shoe whenever he is in a scene… and the Thai people, we will pray to… I think three different gods before the shooting begins."

"The Coffin Challenge" was held on Saturday in Singapore, with punters lining up for a chance to win free tickets to the movie's Singapore premiere on Wednesday (October 22). Each person was required to stay in the mock-up coffin for three seconds, and when they completed the ritual, they received a red packet to ward away any bad karma.

Update: The Straits Times has (cache) an account from a reporter in the crowd at the "The Coffin Challenge", where 100 people eagerly, fearlessly jumped into the coffin.

Related posts:

• The Coffin tipped for Rotterdam
• Boonchu puts a nail in The Coffin
• The Coffin filling up with cash
• Review: The Coffin (Lhong Tor Tai)
• More posters for The Coffin
• Coffin selected for competition in Goa
• The Coffin gets Thai poster and August 21 release date
  
• The Coffin to open in South Korea
  
Fresh stills from The Coffin
• The Coffin being carried to Cannes
• The Coffin is delivered to Kong Kong, China

Nothing to Say about Thai politics

Thailand's political crisis is weighing heavily on the minds of Thai artists. Filmmakers, illustrators, photographers, film students, film lecturers, writers, film critics, bloggers, actors, musicians, play directors, visual and mixed media artists have come together to produce more than 50 silent short films for Nothing to Say, a project by the Pridi Banomyong Institute and the Thai Film Foundation.

The videos about society and politics will be screened for the first time from 7pm on October 31 at the Pridi Banomyong Institute on Soi Thonglor in Bangkok. The video will be screened on the institute's wall to the live accompaniment by indie-music acts Stylish Nonsense, Bear Garden and Assajan Jakgawan.

Among the filmmakers participating are Chukiat Sakweerakul, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Sompot Chidgasonpongse and ThaiIndie.com's Thunska Pansittivorakul. Others are Nontawut Numbenchapol, Anucha Boonyawanta, Pathompol Tesprateep, Lolay, Giam-eee, Nadda Thanathan, Pullop Hoharin, Surachan Mankongwongsri, Wirat Yangyuen, Pichananda Laohapornswan, Zart Tancharoen, Kor Kor Por Au, Kornkrit Jianinidnan, Padungpong Prastartthong, PhalattSankahkorn, Soraya Nakasuwan, Vicart Somkaew, Vasin Mitrsupan, Olan Netrangsi, DIE, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Sittiej Rohitasuk, Chakkrit Anantakul, Nopphand Boonyai, Nok Puksanavin, Ded Chongmankong, Sathit Sattarasart, Thamon Srikhao, Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, Patchara Eaimtrakul, Sanchai Chotirosseranee and Rak Chang Noi.

Nothing to Say is part of the art fair, “Tessakarn Silpa Nana Phan” (“Variety of Art Forms”), which is at the Pridi Banomyong Institute until November 2. In addition to film and video, there's art installations and theater. Daily Xpress has more on that.

(Via ThaiIndie.com and Daily Xpress; thanks Thunska!)

Website, trailer for Ong-Bak 2

Despite a dispute over the budget that led to delays in production and a meltdown by its star and director, Tony Jaa's forthcoming magnum opus Ong-Bak 2 is nearly complete and is set for its planned release on December 4.

The Ong-Bak 2 website is live, and the trailer is playing in cinemas. The trailer makes extensive use of the show reel that wowed viewers at Cannes. I've embedded the trailer from YouTube above, but it's really best seen on the big screen. I can't describe well enough how great I think it looks.

The production's problems are again addressed in a recent article in Daily Xpress, in which Parinyaporn Pajee talked with Tony Jaa's long-time mentor, martial-arts choreographer and director Panna Rittikrai, who was brought in to get shooting back on track, and with production designer Ek Iemchuen, who built a massive, 25-million-baht Khmer palace for the movie and had a hand in writing the script. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Action choreographer Panna Rittikrai looks relaxed now that his beloved student is back on the set and working closely with him to complete the movie.

“It’s just like the good old days when we worked together in Khon Kaen,” he smiles.

Panna says the conflict arose because Jaa lacked the experience to handle such a large project but adds that despite their closeness, they haven’t discussed the problems in detail.

“All I know is that he wants this film to be a masterpiece and I think you’ll see that in the end product,” he says.

Scriptwriter and art director Ek says Jaa is very easy to work with.

“He’s an artist who knows what he wants but sometimes that comes with a price that the producer cannot afford,” he notes.

Panna insists that Jaa has changed since he disappeared from the set a few months ago.

“He’s here all the time and we discuss everything shot by shot.”

The article goes on to say the total budget for the film is 300 million baht, which is about three times what Sahamongkol Film International wanted to spend. I think they'll make that money back in a heartbeat once the film is released.

(Via 24 Frames per Second, Deknang/Popcornmag)

Art of the Devil 3 in South Korea

Five Star's gory Art of the Devil 3 (Long Khong 2) will get a Halloween weekend release in South Korea, according to 24 Frames per Second, which expresses hope for an English-subtitled DVD from Korea sometime after that.

Art of the Devil 3 played at Fantastic Fest last month in Austin, and what little response I could gauge from its appearance there was not positive. It also had a theatrical run in Singapore that was said to be censored. It was also released in Malaysia. Those territories are usually prime hunting grounds for DVD hounds seeking English-friendly Thai releases, but I am unaware of anything being issued yet.

The first two films in the series were released in the U.S. by Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock, though I understand that the release suffers from some technical problems.

Remake rights for Art of the Devil have been sold to Hollywood, so that level of interest bodes well for an English-friendly DVD release for the third installment in the series.

(Via 24 Frames per Second)

On the set of From the Dark

At last month's Thailand Entertainment Expo, held concurrently with the Bangkok International Film Festival, there were a handful of local distributors and production companies. There were many companies with equipment for hire, which is used by both local production companies as well as foreign film shoots.

Among these firms was Studio Bangkok. I remember seeing their booth on the day I visited, but didn't linger to find out what they had to offer.

However, the first article by a guest blogger on the Thai Film Journal, will rectify that oversight, as James Marshall writes about Studio Bangkok and a visit to the set of an upcoming horror film called From the Dark.

Story and photos by James Marshall, the Dirty Tiger

Studio Bangkok have been in business since 1985 and have worked on many films but they normally work shooting films for other companies, normally Five Star as well as commercials, music videos etc. They have only ever produced and distributed a handful of films themselves. However they own over 200 million baht of equipment. Mostly they rent out their equipment, studio space and trained professionals to anyone who wants it, they have everything from lights to cameras.

However, since they have all this equipment and people, they have decided that maybe during their down time they should start making some more films. At the recent Thailand Entertainment Expo, they had two new films advertised: The Crisis Land and From the Dark.

The company was represented at the expo by Somkiat Sriratnonsung, and to my surprise and delight Somkiat speaks English very well so for once my poor Thai was not an obstacle. We started chatting and it turns out that From the Dark is being shot right now, and more than that, Somkiat is the scriptwriter. Somkiat has a background in music videos but this is his first movie. He invited me to come along to the shoot if I had some free time. Of course I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.


On October 16, I headed for Chaeng Wattana Soi 43 to a place called Moo Ban Karn Bin Thai where the film crew had taken over a house for two days for filming. I sauntered in at 8.30am but the shoot was in full swing since they started at 5am (and worked straight through till midnight ! ). Somkiat was very busy and nobody else there really speaks English. I can’t read the script as it is in Thai and I don’t know much about what’s going on as everyone speaks in Thai. I did ask Somkiat some things about the movie but tried not to bother him too much so he could concentrate on the job.

The main gist of the script is that a well-to-do family hire a Cambodian maid to work for them. The girl is quite attractive and the man of the house just can’t resist having his way with her against her will and he ends up killing her by accident. Her vengeful spirit comes to wreak its terrible revenge. Much of the action in the house involves demonic possession and a smoke filled wardrobe with a mind of its own.


The director is Peerawat Potinet ( formerly known as Vorapote Potinetara ) who has a few films under his belt including serving as assistant director on Headless Hero 2, director on Navy Boys and this year he directed the moderately successful horror-comedy The Ghost and Master Bo. Peerawat was also co-producer for Ghost Mother, Black Family and In Country Melody, all for Phranakorn Films. However, although he has a background as a horror-comedy director, From the Dark is going to be completely straight-up horror, no comedy at all. The cast is made up I think of all complete unknowns.

The film is being shot in DV format, however Somkiat tells me it will have a theatrical run maybe around January 2009.


James Marshall, the Dirty Tiger, can be contacted at querty443 at hotmail dot com.

Projects for the 3rd Produire au Sud Film Workshop Bangkok

As part of the World Film Festival of Bangkok, Produire au Sud is a biennial workshop in which indie producers and directors get a chance to talk with industry figures about their films and how to get funding for them. This year's Produire au Sud Bangkok workshop will be held from October 29 to November 1. Six projects have been chosen:

• Stratosphere (Thailand) - producer Hassaya Rimphanawat; director Patavee Viranuvat
• I Carried You Home (Thailand) - producer Thacksakorn Pradubpongsa
• director Tongpong Chantarangkul
• The Tour (Malaysia) - producer Joanna Lee; director Chris Chong
• Shadows of Noon (Philippines) - producer Elisse Aquino; director Ivy Universe Baldosa
• Balaan (Philippines) - producer Oscar Nava, director Ray Gibraltar
• Remembrance (Philippines) - producer Eloisa Espino-Sanchez, director Seymour Sanchez

They will make their pitch to producer Elise Jalladeau, screenwriter Miguel Machalski and sales agent Emilie Georges.

I Carried You Home previously came away with cash from the Asian Cinema Fund. Director Tongpong's short, Wings of Blue Angels, is part of this year's World fest program.

Here is more about Produire au Sud (Producing in the South), from the World Film Festival of Bangkok's blog:

Created in Nantes (France) in 2000 by the Festival of 3 Continents, Produire au Sud is a workshop aimed at Asian, African and South American producers.

In fact, if the state of worldwide film production covers heteogeneous realities, the problems that must be overcome for the development of a full-length film are often similar.

The main goal of Produire au Sud is thus to help and support the producers of these specific geographical areas with the learning and fulfilment of their job.

It is undoubtedly in the viewpoint of exchanging tips, skills and ideas that the Produire au Sud workshops are taking place each year in Nantes during the Festival of 3 Continents but also abroad in the framework of several partnerships with some international film festivals.

One of the projects from the Bangkok workshop will be selected to attend the Nantes festival for further talks and workshopping.

Supported by the French embassy, the Bangkok workshop was started at the 3rd World Film Festival of Bangkok in 2005. O Nathapon's A Moment in June was the first film selected. It recently premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival and is the opener of this year's World fest. The workshop was held again in 2006 (since then it will be biennial) and Malaysian director Liew Seng Tat's In What City Does It Live? was chosen.

See also:

• Produire Au Sud official website

(Via 6th World Film Festival of Bangkok blog)

Fan Chan six reunited for Bittersweet

The "Fan Chan Six" - Vitcha Gojiew, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharathorn, Witthaya Thongyooyong, Anusorn Trisirikasem and Komgrit Triwimol - are directing shorts for a 13-film anthology romance, Bittersweet BoydPod the Short Film.

While undoubtedly a hat tip to the romance omnibus films Paris je t'aime and New York I Love You, the shorts are mainly inspired by Bittersweet, a collection of love songs by pop balladeer and composer Boyd Kosiyabongse and singer-songwriter Thanachai “Pod" Uchin of Moderndog.

Each of the Fan Chan collaborators will direct two segments, except for Adisorn, who is picking up the odd number and directing three. Bittersweet also marks the solo directorial debut for Vitcha, who's primarily been working as a film editor since making Fan Chan in 2003.

Top talents have been cast in the films, including veteran actress Jintara Sukapat, the in-demand Chermarn "Ploy" Boonyasak, young GMM Tai Hub regular Maneerat Kham-uan, funny lady Panisara Pimpru, young actress Jirayu Laongmanee, actor-musician Arak Amornsuksiri and comedian Kom Chuangchuen.

The first production by Major Cineplex Group's M Picture Entertainment, Bittersweet will be screened in a limited run in Bangkok from November 20 to 30 at Esplanade Cineplex, Major Cineplex Ratchayothin and Sukhumvit (Ekamai).

(Via Daily Xpress)

Sleep in a coffin in Singapore

Ahead of the release of Ekachai Uekrongtham's horror thriller The Coffin in Singapore, Scorpio East Pictures, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Cathay-Keris Films are organizing "The Coffin Challenge". It takes place from 3 to 5pm tomorrow (October 18) at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard (basement 1 open area).

The first 100 people who dare to take a nap in a mock coffin will receive tickets to Singapore's gala premiere next Wednesday (October 22), a red packet with a mystery gift and a chance to win the grand prize worth S$500.

MovieXclusive's MX News Bites clarifies though: Karen Mok won't be joining you. And probably not Ananda EVeringham either.

The Coffin opens in Singapore on October 30.

(Via MX News Bites)