Bangkok Film Festival Lines Up 'old Hollywood Glamour'

[george]

Bangkok film fest lines up 'Old Hollywood Glamour'

BANGKOK: -- As visitor arrivals fall off, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is hoping lure punters back with "Old Hollywood Glamour" at the seventh Bangkok International Film Festival from September 24 to 30.

There's hope the fest will generate Bt3 billion worth of spending and deals for the film industry, officials said yesterday.

"The TAT has invested Bt25 million out of Bt80 million, while the rest comes from the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand and the private sector," says Jareuk Kaljareuk, federation president and festival director.

The theme, "Old Hollywood Glamour", means to combine the Hollywood's 1930s golden era with Thailand's of the 1960s.

More than 80 features have been selected by the Thai Film Director's Association.

"This year the trend for film festivals is to show serious movies and the Bangkok International Film Festival is no exception," says programming director Pimpaka Towira.

The opening and closing films were not revealed but confirmed titles include the Canadian drama "I Killed My Mother", the Cannes' Grand Prix winner "Un Prophete", the Thailand-set Swedish thriller "Mammoth" and "Burma VJ" by Danish documentarian Anders Ostergaard.

Action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme and South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun from "G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra" will be among 200 stars strutting the red carpets. An opulent opening is set for CentralWorld while a welcoming banquet will be held on the Chao Phya. The Golden Kinnaree Awards are set for the Dusit Thani's Chatrium Suites Bangkok.

Seminars will focus on business concerns. "We will bring foreign filmmakers and investors to share their experience with Thai filmmakers. It will portray how Thai film industry can build up the creative economy," says Asst Prof Dr Chavana Pavaganun, festival vice-director.

-- The Nation 2009-08-18

[TAWP]

Bangkok film fest lines up 'Old Hollywood Glamour'

BANGKOK: -- As visitor arrivals fall off, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is hoping lure punters back with "Old Hollywood Glamour" at the seventh Bangkok International Film Festival from September 24 to 30.

-- The Nation 2009-08-18

I might have gotten it all wrong, but I put 'punters' in the same range of politeness in use regarding guests as 'saps', 'buffoons' and 'nitwit'. But it might be because they are usually used by a specific group that often are the latter words...

[flightcrew1]

Hmmmm the muscles from Brussels...Action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme...does he still make movies...and at his best he was a grade B star.

[Scott]

I hope it is a success. Right now the tourism industry could use all the help it can get.

[hustlehouse]

Wish them luck and all, but finally it will be just another fiasco. Just look at all the previous Festivals and you'll get the point. As for "Big Names Coming" they'll be happy to get some B's and C's class actors, directors and producers.

Maybe we'll have Cannes moved here in 100 years. Who knows?

:D

[The Mask]

Wish them luck and all, but finally it will be just another fiasco. Just look at all the previous Festivals and you'll get the point. As for "Big Names Coming" they'll be happy to get some B's and C's class actors, directors and producers.

Maybe we'll have Cannes moved here in 100 years. Who knows?

:D

It will be another fiasco, maybe the hi-so scam artist running the show will recruit some fall guy farangs to be arrested when the corruption scandal comes out in a few months. Currently Hollywood has blacklisted Thailand as the producer of 'Rescue Dawn' and 'Salvador' (both shot in Thailand) has been arrested and put on trial in LA for bribing a TAT official. What has happened to the TAT official? - nothing of course.

[basjke]

Hmmmm the muscles from Brussels...Action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme...does he still make movies...and at his best he was a grade B star.

You probably missed that he just completed a new movie which was for a big part filmed in Thailand.I assume it will open around the same time.

[webfact]

Why are about 90% of the post here negative and or Thailand bashing?

Once again .. if you do not like GO HOME, you will not be missed

I love this phrase "if you do not like GO HOME, you will not be missed"

This may sound hokey but this is a too well known banal phrase mongering

Nobody here is bashing Thais. Most past Film Festivals were a fiasco. Thailand can not compete with other film festivals!

Bangkok is not Cannes nor Hollywood nor Berlin nor Sundance. Thats a fact.

No need to rant...

Edited August 19, 2009 by webfact

[slapout]

Why are about 90% of the post here negative and or Thailand bashing?

Once again .. if you do not like GO HOME, you will not be missed

With that logic, why don't you go on your merry way to another forum where the contributors are more to your liking? It is a real possibility that some of individuals you refer to, (90%) are home.

[Bagwan]

Let us hope that none of these 200 'stars' end up as David Carrradine did.

I view this as a free loading exercise for the hi-so's by being seen with 'celebrities' most of whom I have never heard of.

[LomSak27]

The theme, "Old Hollywood Glamour", means to combine the Hollywood's 1930s golden era with Thailand's of the 1960s.

It would be nice if they might have added a sentence, possibly even two on what they mean by this and possibly what the heck they are doing. Yeesh

[quiksilva]

Why are about 90% of the post here negative and or Thailand bashing?

Once again .. if you do not like GO HOME, you will not be missed

Because its a forum. Its doesn't matter what its about but almost all forums everywhere on every topic are full of people who LOVE to complain. (It helps their post count)

[12DrinkMore]

Maybe the investors will be introduced to the unintelligible Thai dubbers and also the Thai censors?

"Fukc, what happened to my film?"

Nah, it's just a few million more Baht squandered on the hi-so's. And there is no way that the film industry is going to help tourism, except maybe to increase the trips out to see "James Bond Island", a pretty feeble piece of limestone when you actually get to see it.

Why are about 90% of the post here negative and or Thailand bashing?

Once again .. if you do not like GO HOME, you will not be missed

Negative and Thailand bashing? NO! Just realistically cynical. Lots to be positive about, but little in respect of the subject of this topic.

[WAERTH]

Let us hope that none of these 200 'stars' end up as David Carrradine did.

I view this as a free loading exercise for the hi-so's by being seen with 'celebrities' most of whom I have never heard of.

Not just Hi-So's also minor actors like myself get a chance to eat and drink some ...

W

[dale8]

Hello, it looks like the festival is more for the business and investor part of the film industry. Maybe it will bring more business to Thailand with the low end artsy films, but I was hoping to see more of a variety of the films that were a commercial success to bring more people to see them. I understand there will be a big studio built close to Chiang Mai soon, and maybe more of the production companies in Thailand would like to advertise their work at this festival. Cheers.

[Bagwan]

Given the tosh presented as entertainment on Thai TV I shudder to think what their films will be like. I'm not expecting to hear about riots in Peoria or Rawtenstall with the populace clammering to see a Thai epic featuring warlords and lots of elephants or a society drama where the hero is lying bandaged up in a hospital bed, everyday folk shoot each other, everybody lives in a mansion and drives a Mercedes.

Another flight of fancy I fear by peeps out of touch with reality.