Great Cinema

[joebuzzard]

There's like three Bangkok film festivals now, not counting the various other film festivals for the British, the Japanese, the EU, the French, etc. Plus there are usually decent alternative cinema screenings at the Apex, and now at House in RCA. So Bangkok is a great place to be a film buff, I think.

This is a thread for sharing info about all the festivals, where to get tickets, showtimes, etc.

Anybody care to share their experiences with decent cinema in Bangkok - not the run-of-the-mill Hollywood stuff you find at the multiplexes? Though rants about the theatre chains are welcome. I've got a couple horror stories I could relate, at another date.

For now I want to tout House, which is showing a three-month-long retrospective series of Takeshi Kitano's films.

The opener is Hana-bi, playing until Dec 22.

The other films are:

Brother - December 23-January 12

Kikujiro - January 13-February 2

Blood and Bones - February 3-23

I just picked up a membership, which is in the 5000's now, a good sign. Members get to see the following for free, a great bargain considering membership is just 100 baht:

Zatoichi

Violent Cop

Dolls

A Scene at the Sea

Getting Any?

Boiling Point

Sonatine

Kids Return

I just caught Hana-bi and it blew me away. Of Kitano's films, I had only seen Zatoichi, which is full of cartoonish violence. Hana-bi is much more sedate and meditative, but still has quite a few explosions of violence. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

That said, The Incredibles is definitely worth a look, especially right now at the Scala, on the big screen in a retro atmosphere. I go out of my way to see films at the Scala. It's so much more a movie going experience than seeing movies in the multiplexes.

Also coming up is the Thai film, the second by Tears of the Black Tiger (Fah Talai Jone) director Wisit Sasanatieng, Citizen Dog - another must-see before the year is out.

[Jai Noi]

Are you producer,joebuzzard?

[joebuzzard]

Are you producer,joebuzzard?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, I am gaining nothing by starting this topic. I am only interested in being of service to anyone else who appreciates good movies.

Likely, if I were a producer, I wouldn't bother with posting on an internet forum. I'd be too busy out shaking down people who have money so I could make more films.

[camerata]

Boiling Point

Sonatine

Kids Return

I just caught Hana-bi and it blew me away. Of Kitano's films, I had only seen Zatoichi, which is full of cartoonish violence. Hana-bi is much more sedate and meditative, but still has quite a few explosions of violence. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

I'd give Sonatine a miss, if I were you. A couple of years ago I paid a lot for the VHS version on Amazon and was very disappointed. It has also been described as "meditative" and "a visual poem" but it's mostly just a bunch of deadbeat gangsters waiting for someone on a beach in Okinawa. It has its moments, but it's too slow. Zatoichi isn't bad though.

I went to the Japanese Film Festival in Bangkok a few years ago and it was chaos, people scrabbling for tickets at a table in the Emporium 5 minutes before the show started. I ended up in the very front row at the end, which gives a highly distorted view of the screen.

It was worth it though, as I got to see Onmyoji (Yin-Yang Masters) - a great movie if you like Japanese historical fantasy stuff.

[joebuzzard]

I'd give Sonatine a miss, if I were you. A couple of years ago I paid a lot for the VHS version on Amazon and was very disappointed. It has also been described as "meditative" and "a visual poem" but it's mostly just a bunch of deadbeat gangsters waiting for someone on a beach in Okinawa. It has its moments, but it's too slow. Zatoichi isn't bad though.

I went to the Japanese Film Festival in Bangkok a few years ago and it was chaos, people scrabbling for tickets at a table in the Emporium 5 minutes before the show started. I ended up in the very front row at the end, which gives a highly distorted view of the screen.

It was worth it though, as I got to see Onmyoji (Yin-Yang Masters) - a great movie if you like Japanese historical fantasy stuff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had a similar front-row experience with Samurai 2 a few years back. I caught two films at this year's festival and was seated in the second and third rows. No avoiding this it seems for that festival. The choice seats go to members of the Japan Foundation, with the general public being offered what is left. But it's free, except for the time you spend in line and watching the movie, so I shouldn't complain.

Similarly, I'm not out much if I catch Sonatine or any of the other Kitano movies at House, except 100 baht and time. I'll probably go see it, despite your warnings. However, I can appreciate feeling burned if you spent money on a tape of movie you don't really like and then it's taking up space on your shelf.

This is why I like film festivals and art-house showings. They give me a chance to see something I wouldn't see otherwise. If I really, really like it, I can then buy the DVD afterward.

[joebuzzard]

From the Bangkok Post, Real Time, January 7, 2005

SOUL SEARCHING SOUL

The Bangkok International Film Festival, which opens next week, will bring a vast programme of movies to the capital, but critics say illusions of grandeur are hampering its development

Story by KONG RITHDEE

Good movies are important in times of trouble, not because they help us forget the tragedy but because they help us remember the joy of living and come to terms with the agony of life. So it's timely that a carnival of world movies will arrive here next week for the Bangkok International Film Festival 2005, which runs from January 13-24 at several downtown theatres.

Hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), who in turn hired an American firm called Film Festival Management (FFM) to programme the event, the upcoming BKK IFF will please cinephiles with its selection of over 180 movies from all over the globe (see page R5 for listings). It also faces the tough task, however, of establishing a meaningful niche in the film festival circuit as well as creating real significance for local filmmakers and audiences alike (see commentary).

Since the TAT took the torch from the previous non-government organisers, the Bangkok cinefest has transformed from a humble affair for film lovers to an extravaganza. As the budget increased to almost 200 million baht _ reportedly more than most major film fests in Asia _ tourism promotion became as much a priority as the original motive of promoting alternative movies and nourishing our nascent film culture. Much effort is now spent on marketing events: Hollywood stars are booked and flown in for the red-carpet receptions and the TAT ties the festival to selling the country as a location shoot for foreign film productions.

At the press conference in December, joined by beauty queens and a dozen second-string local movie stars, TAT governor Juthamas Siriwan said: ``Tourism is crucial in the plan to improve the country's economy. And to promote Thailand as a film location, too, will help advertise the country to the world.''

The governor added at the time: ``What impressed foreign guests that visited last year's festival was our parties. They say we're the best organiser of parties.''

Last year's festival also promised that a lot of big-name celebrities would walk up the staircase for the gala screening at Scala theatre. As it turned out, few names familiar to Bangkok film-goers turned up for the opening ceremony. And although the 2004 festival managed to screen a number of good movies, top British critic Derek Malcolm wrote after the event that the BKK IFF ``[shows]little sense of film culture.''

``True, the BKK IFF may not be what we may call a festival for film `purists','' said TAT's deputy governor Suraphon Svetasreni in an exclusive interview. ``We're a nation that relies on tourism, and a film festival is an event that can serve as good PR for the country.

``I believe, however, that we're able to maintain the art-and-culture core of a good film festival. Since last year we've made sure to initiate film-related seminars, the film market, and the Q&A sessions after most screenings, but of course we need other activities to top up the event.

``We decided to hire an American team to handle the fest because we think it's important to get a good guideline and structure during our beginning stage.''

Craig Peters, head of the LA-based firm who programmes the festival, said: ``Our objective is to expose international films to the Thai community and distributors, and to expose Thai filmmakers to the rest of the world. And sure, tourism is the important part.''

All foreign films shown in the festival, however, will not have Thai subtitles, a factor that will discourage the vast majority of locals from participating (all key film fests in Asia, even those with smaller budgets, screen films with local subs). Last year the organisers said they'd address this lapse, but still nothing was done for the upcoming edition of the fest.

Several Thai filmmakers voice sincere concerns that despite much effort by all festival organisers, the event still lacks the creative initiative to build a strong identity. ``People hear the word Bangkok International Film Festival and don't know exactly what it's about,'' says Pimpaka Towira, who toured a dozen film fests around the world with her 2003 movie One Night Husband.

``It's an activity to promote tourism, that's all right. But it also features a film market and seminars on movies. I mean, what's the real character?''

Frank comments also come from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director of Sud Pralad, a Thai film that won a Jury Prize award in Cannes last May. Apichatpong, whose film was left out of the programme, appreciates that a lot of good films are scheduled to be part of the festival, but expresses his displeasure over the absence of Thai subtitles, which goes ``against common sense for a festival with this huge budget''.

``To me it's fine to organise a film festival with the aim of promoting tourism,'' he adds. ``But in that case the organisers should rename the event _ and I'm not being sarcastic at all _ `Bangkok Film Festival for the Benefit of Tourism' or something of that sort. When you have, say, the London Film Festival, it represents a major film event for that city. But since films are just accessory in this cinefest, to assume that this is a `Bangkok Film Festival' is to abuse the title `film'. This event seems to me more like a celebration of movie stars rather than a celebration of movies.''

The best way for a country to organise a film festival, Apichatpong believes, is through a relevant agency like the Ministry of Culture. ``That way the event will give something back to the film community,'' he says.

Bangkok International Film Festival 2005 will run from January 13-24 at Siam Square, Major Central World Plaza, The Emporium and House RCA movie theatres. The official website www.bangkokfilm.org at the moment lists only 28 films in the competition and includes no details for the other 120 movies said to be in the programme. Call TAT at 02-253-7418 with inquiries.

For movie highlights, check the recommendations on R5.

Around the world in 180 films

A selection of highlights from next week's Bangkok International Film Festival 2005

KONG RITHDEE

Chill with Che in The Motorcycle Diaries" 

Imedal Staunton plays an abortionist in "Vera Drake"

Malaysian epic "Princess of Mount Leading"

Get really crazy with "Old Boy" 

A bonanza of 180 movies will keep cinephiles busy during the Bangkok International Film Festival 2005, which runs from Jan 13 to 24. This week I preview some of the mouth-watering titles to warm you up, and next week I'll come back with more names to help you plan your trips to the theatres.

The fest is divided into many categories, like International Competition, Asean Competition, Documentary and Shorts, and two interesting retrospective programmes for French auteur Olivier Assayas and Thai master Kunawut. My advice is to forget all this categorisation and just plunge in. Even my recommendations here, based on what I've already seen and what I've heard through the grapevine, are far from comprehensive given the number of participating films. Be warned that last minute cancellations are possible.

As of now the festival website www.bangkokfilm.org still has no full programme or the screening schedule. So call 02-253-7418 with questions.

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Brazil)

Directed by Walter Salles

Young Eernesto "Che" Guavara wasn't born a ruthless fighter, but an asthmatic son of a bourgeois Argentinian family. Just when he's finishing his medical studies, Che takes an epic motorcycle trip around the South American countries with his plump, loquacious friend Alberto, and it proves to be a life-changing journey for the idealistic Che as the harsh reality of the struggling continent lights the great fire of revolution in him. Adapted from Che's diaries, the film is worth catching for its breathtaking cinematography alone.

BAD EDUCATION (Spain)

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

A sensational new film by one of the world's greatest contemporary filmmakers, Bad Education swerves deftly through its labyrinthine narrative about a young boy who's molested by a Catholic priest and his subsequent attempt to adapt the experience into a movie, with the help of his gay friend who's a famous filmmaker. Pedro Almodovar's favourite themes are congealed into a genre-bending picture that manages to be queer, weird, suspenseful, provocative and moving at the same time. (If you can't get a ticket, rest easy; the film will open in Bangkok theatres this February anyway).

VERA DRAKE (Britain)Directed by Mike Leigh

Imelda Staunton puts on what many call the performance of the year as a London housewife in the 1950s who performs abortion for young girls. British director Mike Leigh is back at his top form in this dark, powerful tale.

PRINCESS OF MOUNT LEDANG (Malaysia)

Directed by Teong Hin Saw

Well, how often do we get to see a Malaysian historical epic? Reportedly one of the country's most expensive cinema projects ever, it's based on the legend of a Javanese queen caught in a tangle of forbidden love with a Malay warrior. Glittering with huge sets, handsome photography and lyrical narrative, the film is Malaysia's attempt to beef up its cinema industry with a high-profile blockbuster.

FINAL SOLUTION (India)Directed by Rakesh Sharma

This powerful, all-consuming documentary from India chronicles the horrifying Gujrat riots of 2002 and 2003. The massacre of Muslims induced a shattering social and political aftermath. Running over three hours, it's one of the world's most talked-about docs of the past year.

ANATOMY OF ###### (France)Directed by Catherine Breillat

Warning: This film is not for the faint-hearted or the certified conservative. Look at it intellectually and this is a philosophical contemplation on the cosmic roles of penis and vagina (at one point, a menstruating vagina, seen in close-up). Porn-star Rocco plays a stud paid by a beautiful woman to "watch her where she cannot watch herself". He ends up doing things to her that use more than just his eyes. A difficult movie, Anatomy of ###### is not pornography because its purpose is not to turn anybody on _ but it is a naked study of the complexity of female desire.

A TOUT DE SUITE (France)Directed by Benoit Jacquot

A sensuous black-and-white French caper done in the style of New Wave crime flicks. A teenaged daughter of a rich man has a crush on a French-Moroccan bank robber, and after his latest Paris heist is botched, she ends up on the lam with him journeying to Morocco and Greece, where life lessons are learnt hard and fast.

WHAT REMAINS OF US (Canada, Tibet)Directed by Hugo Latulippe and Francois Prevost

This is tipped as a must-see. What Remains of Us is a documentary by two Canadian filmmakers who follow a Tibetan exile in Quebec as he smuggles a videotape containing a spiritual message from an exiled Dalai Lama into Tibet and shows it to the Tibetan people.

LAND OF PLENTY (Germany, USA)Directed by Wim Wenders

German master Wim Wenders offers his own take on post-9/11 America. The film centres on two protagonists, one consumed by the paranoia of the next terrorist attack, the other an idealistic woman who campaigns for minority's rights and equality. It may not be Wenders at his poetic best, but it's still saying something immediate and relevant.

BIRTH OF A SEANEMA (Thailand)Directed by Sasithorn Ariyawicha

A 70-minute non-narrative Thai film that transforms Bangkok into a monochrome phantasmagoria. Muted, hypnotic, this is the most idiosyncratic Thai experimental cinema of 2004.

WOMAN OF BREAKWATER (The Philippines)Directed by Mario O'Hara

Slum life lends a great subject to cinema not because it's always heart-wrenching, but because the its unforgiving reality is so immense that a filmmaker cannot resist. In this movie from the Philippines, two boys flee their poverty-stricken island to Manila, only to find themselves relegated to a half-life in a squalid ghetto near the city's breakwater.

OLD BOY (Korea)Directed by Park Chan-wook

This Korean mindf*** of a movie, which won the Grand Prix from Cannes, arrives a bit stale since its DVD landed long ago in Bangkok shops. Still, seeing our anti-hero, released from a cell after being locked up by a mysterious captor for 15 years, tracing the clues that lead back to the lair of his nemesis, gorging live octupus and hand-combatting a few dozen baddies with a bloody hammer _ seeing all this on the big screen is a salivating and, yes, a mindf***ing experience.

MONDOVINO (France)Directed by Jonathan Nossiter

A tasty, insightful documentary on the culture of winemaking, the film investigates the effects of globalisation, which is leading to a conformity of taste, and shows wine-growers struggling to adapt to the changing vinous landscape.

PEEP TV SHOW (Japan)Directed by Yutaka Tsuchiya

So wacky it's adorable, Peep TV Show is fundamentally a thoughtful portrait of Japanese teens of the Shibuya district who're desexualised, desensitised, and altogether caught in the gutter of disorientation and paranoia. Its leading lady is a doll-like lass with the nickname Gothic Lolita and the a subject of a hid-cam espionage by a gender-bending boy. It shows that a teen movie can be loopy and simultaneously meaningful.

INNOCENT VOICE (Mexico)Directed by Luis Mandoki

Mexican director Luis Mandoki is known for his Hollywood fares (The Edge, Message in the Bottle) and his return to the gritty style of social realism here is greatly welcome. Innocent Voice is a story of a ravaging war in El Salvador told through a child's perspective as he struggles to find courage in the face of devastating horror.

[joebuzzard]

Right now, there is gem among the National Treasures, Bridget Joneses, Aviators and other dreck that Hollywood is pushing Bangkok's way.

It's called Twilight Samurai an is playing a limited engagement at Major Sukhumvit (Ekkamai) and EGV Pinklao (of all places). In Japanese with English and Thai subtitles.

For a samurai flick, there isn't much sword fighting. There's only two setpieces. The rest of the time is taken up with solid, engaging drama about a young widower with two adorable daughters and a senile mother. The dude just wants to be a humble worker among workers. He enjoys hard labor and raising his girls. He is unkempt, smelly and wears a ripped kimono. Yet he attracts the attention of stunning woman - a recent divorcee who was his childhood friend.

Aside from the human drama, the backdrop is 1883 Japan, toward the end of the shogun period, and a hard time in that country's history.

The closest I've seen to something like this is the Samurai trilogy that starred Toshiro Mifune.

Really, it's a beautiful picture. It reminded me a lot of a the classical Japanese paintings, with the grim, grotesque expressions.

Catch it while you can. Consult Bangkok Post, Movieseer or call 1110 for showtimes.

[bkkmadness]

Ashes of Time to watch tonight. I love the Wong Kar wai films. Is 2046 out here on DVD yet? Not seen it yet, have u?

[joebuzzard]

Ashes of Time to watch tonight.  I love the Wong Kar wai films.  Is 2046 out here on DVD yet?  Not seen it yet, have u?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I cannot get my head around Ashes of Time, as beautiful as I recognize it is. I need to be strapped to chair and made to watch it.

ChungKing Express left me perplexed. What happened to the story thread about the lady assassin?

Loved In the Mood for Love.

2046 is on DVD in China. Surf around at monkeypeaches.com. And it's probably avialable from some of the finer pirates.

I'm holding out for it to show up in theaters in Bangkok. It's supposed to be at the Bkk Intl Film Fest, but I don't want to see it there. I fear the screening will be too crowded with press and VIP (who don't show up but have seats reserved so nothing is available for people who want to see the film). 2046 was supposed to screen in Bangkok months ago, but a dispute with Thongchai Bird McIntyre has held up the local screening. Seems Bird is upset because he had a scene in the film that was cut.

So the DVD of 2046 might in fact be the only way regular folks in Bangkok can see the film.

[joebuzzard]

I've made a pass through the Bangkok Int'l Film Fest website, www.bangkokfilm.org. The schedule now appears to be up. Tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster today (Saturday, January 8).

There's a lot of stuff to sift through. First, I concentrated on Thai films, so I went by country.

Next, I looked at the Asean competition of films from other SE Asian countries.

Then the main competition.

Then I went day-by-day, concentrating my efforts on times I'm likely to have free. I'm not worried about seeing big, blockbuster movies that are likely to show up on DVD or on wide release in theaters. I'm concentrating on smaller, foreign films - especially the Thai and Asian films.

I just hope the Thai films have subtitles. I can hardly speak the language, as much as I appreciate the culture and Thai cinema.

The Thai films:

-- ART OF THE DEVIL - Supernatural thriller directed by Thanit Jitnukul, director of Bang Rajan.

-- BE VERY QUIET - Directed by Mona Nahm, it's the story of a young man who witnessed the rape and murder of his prostitute mom when he was a child.

-- BICYCLES & RADIOS - Directed by O Nathapon, it's about two wounded souls meet on a radio talk show.

-- BIRTH OF THE SEANEMA - Directed by SASITHORN ARIYAVICHA, I have no idea what this is about.

-- BORN TO FIGHT - Directed by Panna Rittikrai, the action choroegrapher for Ong Bak, it's about a team of national athletes (portrayed by real athletes) who use their various skills to save a small village from bad guys. I missed this when it was in cinemas. *

-- CITIZEN DOG - Wisit Sasanatieng's urban love story is told with the colorful, comic style he introduced in Fah Talai Jone. I saw it twice when it was in theaters last month. Now's your chance to see it if you missed it. *

-- DOWN THE RIVER - Directed ANUCHA BOONYAWATANA, a young gay guy searches for the truth of his love life.

-- ENLIGHTENMENT - Directed by TANON SATTARUJAWONG, a monk attempts to retrieve his meagre possessions when his bag is stolen.

-- IS AM ARE - Directed by CHANATIP KUNASAYEAMPORN, two strangers cross paths while discovering the other dimension of life through the mysterious palm reader.

-- MAID - By the director of the slapstick gay volleyball movie Iron Ladies, Maid or Jeaw is a comedy about secret-agent maids.

-- MY FIRST BOYFRIEND - Directed by ISSARA MANEEWAT, it's about a gay guy with aspirations of making a movie and being in love.

-- MY SPACE - By WITIT KUMSAKAEW and RITHICHAI SIRIPRASITPONG, students at Thammasat University, it's about a guy and a girl living in the same apartment building who break out of their isolated routines and actually talk to one another.

-- OUR FILM - Directed by ATTHASIT SOMCHOB, a wife brings her husband for rest in Pattaya. Well, I know that doesn't make any sense, but that's what the synpopsis says.

-- PATTAYA MANIAC - The latest crime comedy from Killer Tattoo director Yuthlert Sippapak. Some funny moments and great acting by the big comedian.

-- PIK-BAAN-HAO - Directed by SUPAWUT BOONMAHATHANAKORN, it's about Odd, who wishes there would be something better for his family and beloved, Yao.

-- ROOM NUMBER 3 - A mother comes to visit her daughter in Bangkok and finds that her daughter has a new roommate.

-- SARS WAR - Thai-speaking Australian TV presenter Anthony Biggs is a zombie!

-- SOOTH - Directed by PATANA CHIRAWONG. I have no idea.

-- THE ATTEMPTS - Directed by DEJA PIYARHTKUL, a mother with her newborn son desperately waits for her husband.

-- TOM-YUM-GOONG: MUAY THAI FIGHTER - The followup to Ong-Bak. I'll believe it when I see it, mostly likely not at the festival. I don't think this film is actually completed. It will be in the multiplexes soon.

-- WAI ONLAWON - The debut film by Piak Poster, who made a string of teen-based movies throughout the 1980s. This was the first film that really got Thai audiences and the movie industry interested in making movies about teens. *

A retrospective to veteran Thai director Vichit Kounavudhi: *

-- FIRST WIFE - From 1978. Stars Jatupol Phuapirom, Wongdeaun Indharavud and Wiyada Aumarin. Husband-and-wife, both doctors,

Dr Vikanda has to face her husband’s unfaithfulness.

-- HER NAME IS BOONROD - From 1985. Set during the Vietnam War era, it depicts the burgeoning sex trade that developed in Thailand to service the US military. Boonrod is labeled as one of them just because of her rough appearance. However, she proves herself to be a virtuous woman.

-- SON OF THE NORTH-EAST - From 1982. Stars Tongparn Phontong, Chanpen Siritep, Krailad Kriang-krai and Pailin Somnapa. This iconic film is a semi-documentary film derived from the work of award-winning author Kampoon Boontawee, who wrote from first-hand experience of life in rural Isaan - northeast Thailand.

-- MOUNTAIN PEOPLE - From 1980. Stars Montree Jenaksorn, Walaikorn Paovarat, Supavadee Thiensuwan and Petcharat Indharakamhaeng. In another semi-documentary, Vichet focuses on hilltribe life along the Burmese border. Ayo, a young man of the Egor tribe, and his wife as they are driven away after she gives birth to twins who, according to Egor folklore, will bring bad luck to the village. Adventures lead to Ayo's involvement with a Chinese opium trafficking gang.

The ASEAN COMPETITION:

-- The Beautiful Washing Machine, directed by James Lee, Malaysia - Supposed to be meditatively beautiful, like Tropical Malady.

-- Buffalo Boy (Muoa Len Trau), directed by Minh Nguyen-Vo, Vietnam - Historical drama set in Vietnam. Actually, a French/Belgian co-production, probably on par with Cyclo in terms of quality. *

-- Crying Ladies, directed by Mark Meily, The Philippines

-- Homecoming, directed by Gil Portes, The Philippines

-- The Judgement (Ai-Fak), directed by Patham Thonsang, Thailand. Saw this earlier. Loved it. Hope to see again. Bit of skin from Tak Bongkote, but what really got me was the fantasy likay sequence. *

-- Keka, directed by Quark Henares, The Philippines

-- The Letter, directed by Phaoon Chandrasiri, Thailand. This is embarrassing. It's an even more melodramatic weeper remake of a Korean romance. Thailand can do better.

-- Perth, directed by Djinn, Singapore.

-- Pisaj (Evil), directed by Chookiat Sakvirakul, Thailand. A supernatural thriller. I missed this, though I have since heard it is quite good.

-- Princess of Mount Ledang (Puteri Gunung Ledang), directed by Saw Teong Hin, Malaysia. Malaysia's Suriyothai, an epic, said to be the most expensive film ever made in Malaysia.

-- Rainmaker, directed by Ravi Bharwani, Indonesia

-- Sagai United, directed by Somching Srisuphab, Thailand. Again, embarrassing for Thailand. Why not Citizen Dog or Tropical Malady? Simply cheap, exploitive comedy.

-- Spirits, directed by Victor Vu, Vietnam

-- True Love, directed by Kyi Soe Tun, Myanmar. Wow. They make movies in the country also known as Burma.

-- Women of Breakwater, directed by Mario O'Hara, The Philippines

The International Competition:

-- Being Julia, directed by Istvแn Szab๓, Canada/USA/Hungary/UK

-- Clean, directed by Olivier Assayas, France/UK. Stars Maggie Cheung as a drug-addict rock star who must clean up her act and take care of her child.

-- Don’t Move (Non ti muovere), directed by Sergio Castellitto, Italy

-- Les Choristes, directed by Christophe Barratier, France/Switzerland

-- Innocent Voices (Voces innocents), directed by Luis Mandoki, Mexico

-- The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta), directed by Walter Salles, Argentina/UK/USA/Germany/Peru

-- Old Boy, directed by Park Chan-Wook, South Korea. A squid is sacrificed, along with lots of other weirdness. Very cool. *

-- Red Dust, directed by Tom Hooper, South Africa/UK (Opening Night film)

-- The Sea Inside (Mar adentro), directed by Alejandro Amenแbar, Spain

-- Shutter, directed by Pakpoom Wongpoom and Banjong Pisanthanakun, Thailand. Okay, this was pretty good, but I don't think it fits here. It's going to be clobbered. It's better placed in the Asean competition, with Ai Fak, Citizen Dog or Tropical Malady in place here. *

-- The Syrian Bride, directed by Eran Riklis, France/Germany/Israel

-- Vera Drake, directed by Mike Leigh, UK

-- Zelary, directed by Ondrej Trojan, Czech Republic

* Have seen or hope to see.

Edited January 7, 2005 by joebuzzard

[sabaijai]

I attended the BIFF again this year. The daytime events -- seminars, workshops, press conferences -- were better organised than in previous years. Cutting-edge cinematographers Rodrigo Prieto and Christopher Doyle gave an excellent workshop on how to direct and film love/sex scenes, for example.

A group of Thai 'new wave' directors, including Jira, Yongyut, and Pen-Ek's current producer, sat for a well-organised press conference at the Jim Thompson House.

Choice of screenings were by and large good, also an improvement over the previous two years. Some might complain about including mainstream movies but that's what brings the movie ticket-buying public in.

The gala awards dinner had a spectacular khon performance, but the actual awards and speeches were marred by technical glitches, and by TAT governor Jutimas's insistence on delivering the opening address herself (she's a poor public speaker and the text itself was very uninspiring).

Celebrity content was the best yet. I attended public press conferences held with Joel Schumacher, Michael Douglas, Oliver Stone and Jeremy Irons, all very well done.

Nightly after-parties also better. I chatted with Prieto and Doyle at a couple of the after-parties, and spotted Stone and Schumacher at parties as well. This differs from previous years and indicates - to me at least - that the BIFF is gaining a reputation as a 'real' film festival.

All in all I thought it was a successful event. I agree with all of Kong Rithdee's criticisms, particularly the lack of Thai subtitles at the screenings. I talked to some of the TAT organisers and they're well aware of these complaints and they say that next year they'll try to arrange for subtitling.

[sabaijai]

There's like three Bangkok film festivals now, not counting the various other film festivals for the British, the Japanese, the EU, the French, etc.

Just wanted to point out that only the BIFF is an 'international film festival' in the usual sense of the term. The British, the Japanese, the EU, the French, etc focus on films from their sponsoring countries/regions. BIFF is the only one to have juried awards as well, and to offer all the usual stuff associated with international film festivals, such as a daily film market (which did huge biz this year), seminars, press conferences, parties, etc.

Also BIFF is the only one to screen Thai films, as far as I know, not to mention films from other ASEAN countries.

Not that each of these festivals doesn't have its own merits.

[joebuzzard]

Just wanted to point out that only the BIFF is an 'international film festival' in the usual sense of the term. The British, the Japanese, the EU, the French, etc focus on films from their sponsoring countries/regions. BIFF is the only one to have juried awards as well, and to offer all the usual stuff associated with international film festivals, such as a daily film market (which did huge biz this year), seminars, press conferences, parties, etc.

Also BIFF is the only one to screen Thai films, as far as I know, not to mention films from other ASEAN countries.

Not that each of these festivals doesn't have its own merits. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's the World Film Festival of Bangkok, which shows Thai and Asian films, was well as films from all over this place called "The World". It has juried awards, parties, press conferences, etc. Held around September it's organized by The Nation. It grew out of a fight between Nation execs and the TAT when both were involved in organizing the BKKIFF three years ago. Locally organized, the World fest is smaller and outgunned by the TAT's big Hollywood party. It's still a good festival though and presents yet another opportunity for local film lovers to see movies they couldn't possibly see otherwise.

There's also the Bangkok Film Festival, run by Brian Bennett, who organized the first festivals that eventually grew into the International festival. Brian continues to hold his event and focuses on films from the Sundance festival.

With regard to Thai subtitling at BKKIFF, I hope the TAT will not abandon English subtitles in favor of Thai subtitles. Both should be made available whenever possible.

Edited January 24, 2005 by joebuzzard

[endlessnights]

can you walk to house from the subway station?

I checked out their webpage and saw an article awhile back in the nation and it definitely sounds like something I'd like to check out.

Lido @ siam seems to play some indie films also.

[joebuzzard]

can you walk to house from the subway station?

I checked out their webpage and saw an article awhile back in the nation and it definitely sounds like something I'd like to check out.

Lido @ siam seems to play some indie films also.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Subway running or not, House is about a 30-minute walk from Phetchaburi station. It's doable if you have the time, but not really fun. Once the trains start running again, come up out of Exit No 1 and catch a taxi. Tell them you want to go to RCA. House is on the top floor of the UMG RCA cineplex, next door to Tops supermarket. It's on the right as you enter RCA from Phetchaburi.

The website is Houserama.com. It's mostly in Thai, but you can figure out the movie titles and showtimes.

During the recent film festival, I was using a taxi to get from Rajdamri to House during the hour between festival screenings. I generally made it in about 25 minutes. From Emporium, walk across the street and catch a taxi at the corner of Soi 39. From Soi 39, the taxis can turn right onto Petchaburi and the entrance to RCA isn't far from there.

The Lido is an excellent theater. I simply love it. It is a great place to catch non-mainstream movies and Asian films. Its sister Apex cinemas, the Siam and the Scala, are my first choice when I want to catch a big-screen showing of the Hollywood films. I clip their ad out of The Nation every weekend for handy reference and planning my days off.

[joebuzzard]

I attended the BIFF again this year. The daytime events -- seminars, workshops, press conferences -- were better organised than in previous years. Cutting-edge cinematographers Rodrigo Prieto and Christopher Doyle gave an excellent workshop on how to direct and film love/sex scenes, for example.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here's more on that.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ent.../128828/1/.html

At the recent Bangkok International Film Festival, at a seminar entitled Making Love to the Lens, five cinematographers came together to discuss the filming of sex in movies.

But it took an acclaimed actress to ask what was on everybody's mind.

Bai Ling, who was in the audience, asked the panel: "As an actress and as an audience, I've always wondered, have you guys ever been turned on by the scenes you're shooting?"

Dante Spinotti, Italian cinematographer for LA Confidential, Red Dragon and, most recently, After the Sunset, retorted: "Of course I get turned on. It's life!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, sex in Hollywood movies isn't shot the way it is in porn movies. From seduction to foreplay to nud_e figures lit from behind, trying to hide explicit sex onscreen is an art in itself.

The camera lens becomes an engine of seduction and anticipation, bringing together the actors, the cinematographer and the audience.

In Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, for example, the characters' unconsummated love for each other gets drawn out in a "will they or won't they" fashion that essentially is the movie's storyline.

Christopher Doyle, cinematographer for that movie, said: "A film isn't just a film. It is about engagement, that intimate connection that links the actors steaming up the lens to the audience, through the guy who holds the camera lens."

And Spinotti aside, the other cinematographers agreed that technical worries in shooting a scene do not allow them the leeway to enjoy the shoot on a carnal level.

Said Rodrigo Prieto, whose movies include 8 Mile and Alexander: "It's very stressful for us ... it becomes very technical."

Robert Fraisse, cinematographer for The Lover (1991), the movie that introduced the then-16-year-old Jane March (along with Tony Leung Ka Fai's tanned butt) to the Western world, agreed. "Angle, lighting, that's what makes it not a porn movie. In a scene in The Lover, I shot ... the very nice back and butt of Leung (because they) looked like a sculpture," said Fraisse.

Another purveyor of aesthetics over eroticism was Doyle. "I prefer personally to see the bodies, so you keep the room in the dark, or you backlight the bodies", he said.

A long lens helps too, the directors added, as the camera can keep a less intrusive distance from the actors. That, and clearing the room of any unnecessary staffers, as the fewer people there are on set, the more comfortable the actors are.

Fraisse also advised directors to give the actors time to get over their initial nervousness.

"Directors must understand that this takes time. Invariably, the first thing most actors do when they start a scene is to laugh. Rehearsing the complete scenes half-clothed also helps," he said.

At the end of the day, beautiful scenes are made when, for a moment, the film crew and the actors connect artistically.

"It's not about the nudity, it's about the engagement and the exchange of energy, the trust actors can put in us that makes it work," said Doyle. -

Celebrity content was the best yet. I attended public press conferences held with Joel Schumacher, Michael Douglas, Oliver Stone and Jeremy Irons, all very well done.

Nightly after-parties also better. I chatted with Prieto and Doyle at a couple of the after-parties, and spotted Stone and Schumacher at parties as well. This differs from previous years and indicates - to me at least - that the BIFF is gaining a reputation as a 'real' film festival.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've never mastered the art of chatting. Have never been able to manage. Woudl rather crawl under the table, or hangout in the kitchen. I wouldn't have any idea what to say to guys like Prieto or Doyle. Well, Doyle maybe. I'd buy him a beer, for sure. That would surely break the ice. And then, what would you say to Oliver Stone or Joel Schumacher?

[joebuzzard]

2046 at the Siam Theatre. Positively jaw dropping.

[konangrit]

Film fest expected to lighten

The 4th World Film Festival of Bangkok, featuring more than 70 films from 32 countries, will cool the current political temperature.

The festival takes place from October 11-23 at Grand EGV Siam Discovery Centre, Paragon Cineplex and Major Cineplex at CentralWorld.

"This year's edition has many new films fresh from the Cannes, Venice and Toronto film festivals. The festival will open with the Chinese epic 'The Banquet' starring Ziyi Zhang and Daniel Wu," festival director Kriangsak Silakong said yesterday at a press conference at Grand EGV Siam Discovery Centre.

With support from 12 foreign embassies, the festival has many films portraying multicultural issues, ranging from pop culture in Bhutan ("Dragon House") to a gay story from Ireland ("Breakfast from Pluto"), along with films from the Philippines ("The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros") and India ("My Brother Nikhil").

The festival will present five rare masterpieces by the late Polish director Krzystof Kieslowski in its retrospective programme.

In the tribute programme, there are five films by veteran Italian director Bernado Bertolucci, including a new version of "The Last Emperor".

New York-based Polish artist Rafal Olbinski will exhibit his debut poster show along with rare black-and-white photographs by Kieslowski at Paragon Hall.

Polish Ambassador Bogdan Goralczyk and Argentinian Ambassador Felipe Frydman were at the press conference, along with representatives of the ambassadors of France, Italy, Switzerland, Peru, Spain, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands and Russia. The embassies of India, Iran and Turkey are also supporting the festival.

The festival is co-organised by The Nation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai Airways International and the Major Cineplex Group. It is sponsored by the British Council (Thailand), Goethe Institut Bangkok, Turkish Airlines, Mahan Air, Indian Airlines, J-BICS Film Company, WPM Film International Company, and Pacific Marketing & Entertainment Group.

Besides retrospective and tribute categories, the festival will feature Asian contemporary films, including "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone", an award-winning work by Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang.

There will also be categories for documentaries, world cinema and short films.

As a key platform for young Thai film-makers, the festival will present three feature films, two documentaries, a short film and three short series. The highlight is "Reconciliation Short Films" by 14 Thais, showcasing the search for love and peace in the daily lives of locals, particularly in the troubled three southernmost provinces.

"As part of our tradition of supporting independent Thai film-makers, three Thai feature films - 'Sanctuary Rhapsody', 'Silence Will Speak' and 'Sugarless' - will have their world premieres at the festival," said Kriangsak.

Compared with other Asian festivals in South Korea and Tokyo, the Bangkok event is still a baby, but its reputation for promoting independent films around the globe is increasing its popularity.

"It's a young festival and still struggling, but it's full of beautiful intentions," said Bangkok-based Australian film-maker Titus Leber. "Although it's small, it features wonderful cinema by independent film-makers. The films are carefully selected. It's gaining a reputation."

Phatarawadee Phataranawik

The Nation

http://www.worldfilmbkk.com/index.php

I've not been to this festival before, what subtitles do they have, English, Thai, or both?

[fxm88]

Apex, and now at House in RCA. So Bangkok is a great place to be a film buff, I think.

Thailand is a wretched place to be a film buff, I think. Thai movies are generally awful. And what gets imported usually only depends on what stars are in it (even if they only have minor roles); consider the decision to import that movie about an American game-show host that no one in Thailand had ever heard of.

So by all means, fly in for the film festival -- but if movies are your thing you probably shouldn't stick around.

Right now, there is gem among the National Treasures, Bridget Joneses, Aviators and other dreck that Hollywood is pushing Bangkok's way.

If you're sick of Hollywood blockbusters, blame the Germans (or their tax-shelters, at least).

Edited September 30, 2006 by fxm88

[Lacoste]

Your replying to a thread from 2004/5

[fxm88]

Your replying to a thread from 2004/5

Whoops! But that does leave the question: has anything changed since then?