During the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and 1998, Thailand's economy wasn't the only sector in a protracted slump. Also sinking was the movie industry in Thailand, with only two films being produced during those two years. In the following years, as Thailand tried to get back on its feet after the economic crisis, an annual number of six or seven films was produced in 1999 and 2000. The situation was very similar to that faced by Taiwan's film industry now: a protracted slump with less than 10 local films being made every year. But unlike Taiwan, Thai films have enjoyed a revival and the movie business there is now booming. In 2001, 25 films were made and the next year the number doubled to 50. Producers and filmmakers expect that the number may go up to 75, or even 100.
How did Thailand do it? How did it create legions of movie fanatics when, just a few years ago, people there could hardly afford to buy a movie ticket? As in Korea, the Thai film industry in the last three years has become one of the fastest-growing movie industries in Asia. Locals call the recent phenomena the "Thai New Wave."
At the extravagant Bangkok International Film Festival, which ended last Wednesday, the 30 Thai films showcased demonstrated why Thai cinema is now being embraced by local and international audiences alike. Visually exquisite and with a heavy sense of nostalgia, lots of action, and full of funny and kitsch episodes -- these are the general impressions that come to mind when attempting to describe the characteristics of this Thai New Wave.
According to Adirek Watleela, managing director of Film Bangkok, many of Thailand's new generation of directors have a background in advertising, making television commercials. "The entry of these New Wave filmmakers -- TV-commercial directors by profession -- into the Thai film circle marked a new page for Thai cinema, bringing with them a diversity of views, thoughts and expertise. This heralded a new generation of Thai films. [These films are] rich in content, thought-provoking, inspirational, and captivating in style and presentation," Watleela said.
Nang Nak (1999) by Nonzee Nimibutr was the first sweeping local success produced by a New-Wave director. Based on a widely known ghost story, the film excels at recreating the period's atmosphere with exquisite cinematography and superb acting. Unconventionally, the film portrays Nang Nak as a sympathetic character rather than a horrible ghost. The film grossed US$3.52 million in 1999 and became the best-selling film in Thai cinema history, surpassing even Titanic. "It is indeed Nang Nak that caused audiences to regain confidence in Thai films and it created a critical point [from which] the whole industry [could] take off," said Ladawan Kongcharoenvoot, a producer in Kantana Motion Pictures.
Iron Ladies (2000) by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, a witty play with drama, kitsch and humor followed Nang Nak's success, grossing US$2.3 million at the box office. Portraying a volleyball team made up of transvestites and transsexuals that goes on to enjoy national success, this saucy comedy tallied decent earnings in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and the UK.
The filmmakers of the Thai New Wave are also good at making genre films and smartly infusing Thai flavor and Thai culture into them. Tears of The Black Tiger (2000) is a Thai-flavored cowboy film with nostalgic 1950s colors and costumes. Mon-rak Transistor (2002) is a film that combines the elements of a musical, romance comedy and realistic drama. The film follows the odyssey of a young folk music singer who tries to make it big on the "luk thung" music scene in Bangkok. Both of these films went to Cannes in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
And speaking of genre films, action dramas are always well-represented in Thai film. This year at the Bangkok film festival, international guests saw the premiere screening of Thai martial arts film Ong-Bak as the festival's closing movie. In this fast-paced action film, there are stunningly choreographed Thai-boxing scenes, Jackie Chan-style kung-fu comedy, and a Bruce Lee-like muscleman who fights against foreigners in order to save his countryman and Buddhism. For those who have never seen a Thai-style martial arts film before, Ong-Bak is an eye-opener that shows how fierce, violent and fascinating Thai boxing can be.
With the recent bevy of homegrown movies, "the market share of Thai films has increased from 1 percent to 20 percent," said producer Kongcharoenvoot. The other 80 percent is composed of Hollywood films. This is already a big leap compared with the current situation in Taiwan, where local films share less than 1 percent of the market. In Asia, Korea owns the biggest local film market with a 50-percent market share for local films.
"In Thailand, a film that reaches 50 million baht [US$1 million] at the box office can be considered just ok. Over 70 million baht can be seen as a success," said Kongcharoenvoot. This is another embarrassing fact for Taiwan, where people uncork the champagne and throw parties if a local film reaches NT$5 million.
So like Korea, whose Pusan International Film Festival has accompanied the boost of the Korean film industry, Thailand is also ready for a big-scale international film festival. The Bangkok film festival has allegedly invested US$3 million for organizational purposes. During the festival, 80 percent of the screenings were fully booked, with a few films needing extra screenings to meet higher-than-expected demand. The festival's Golden Kinnaree Award was probably the only disappointment, with none of the winners attending the awards ceremony, including Golden Kinnaree winner Talk to Her by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.
"I still believe that we have many advantages to make Bangkok a perfect festival place. First, we have fanatical audiences, with a lot of them being foreigners and tourists. Second, we have many well-appointed cinemas and multiplexes. And third, we have superior hotels congregated around the festival venue and many more tourist spots in the city," said local film journalist Pemika Sripisit. "Compared with Pusan, it's not too late for us to open a big film festival."
It seems that, like Korea, Thailand has emerged as one of the innovative forces in modern East Asian cinema. In Bangkok alone, there are 300 quality screening venues for movies. This factor helped Bangkok become the host of last year's CineAsia convention. This Asia-Pacific film market had been held in Hong Kong over the previous eight years and has now relocated to Thailand.
The bustling Bangkok film festival may be over for this year, but the battle between the two Asian stars -- Korea and Thailand -- has just started.
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