Movie-lovers' Heaven

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EDITOR'S PICK

Movie-lovers' heaven

By Daily Xpress

Published on October 8, 2009

With a heavy dose of indie flicks, the 7th World Film Festival of Bangkok offers serious cinema

There's plenty to satisfy film buffs at the seventh edition of the World Film Festival of Bangkok, with more than 100 features and shorts screening at Paragon Cineplex from November 6 and 15.

Termed by organisers as "seventh heaven for movie lovers", the fest opens with indie director Anocha Suwichakornpong's much-anticipated debut feature "Jao Nok Krajok" ("Mundane History").

Long in the works, "Mundane History" is a family drama, focusing on a wheelchair-bound son, his father, a male nurse and a grand old house that has seen better days. The narrative is an allegory on Thai society, says Anocha. Her production was supported by the 2006 Produire au Sud Bangkok, the biennial workshop for new producers and directors in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka held by the Produire au Sud Foundation of the Festival of 3 Continents, the French Embassy in Thailand and the World Film Festival of Bangkok.

Celebrity look alikes

Following the success of last year's "Celebrity Look Alike" competition, the organisers are holding a second round this year. Judging will be held during the closing celebration in Discovery Plaza at Siam Discovery Centre before the free, open-air screening of the closing film, "Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae", a Swiss documentary that traces the origins of the cult Jamaican genre.

The festival groups films into categories: Asian Contemporary, Cinema Beat, Cine Latino, Doc Feast, Short Wave, Guts Nouveau, Music & Dance a la Carte and Retrospective.

"This year, we have focu more on indie films rather than big-name productions that crop up at the major film festivals. That's why you'll see movies from Bulgaria, Portugal and Argentina," says Kriengsak "Victor" Silakong, the festival director.

In addition to "Mundane History", there will be a solid selection of indie Thai cinema. Making its local premiere will be "A Letter to Uncle Boonmee", which is part of avant-garde filmmaker Api-chatpong Weerasethakul's larger multi-platform "Primitive" art project, which has recently opened in Liverpool. Indie maverick Thunska Pansittivorakul mixes politics with gay sexuality "This Area Is Under Quarantine". Others include Zart Tancharoen's "Lost Nation" and Nitchapoom Chai-anant's documentary "I am the Director".

Among the Southeast Asian selection is "Karaoke" by Malaysia's Chris Chong Chan Fui.

Don't miss this

Must-sees include the gay film "To Die Like a Man" from Portugal, the Bulgarian noir "Zift" by Javor Gardev and "Gulabi Talkies" by Indian indie director Girish Kasaravalli.

Alain Tanner, the veteran Swiss director, will be praised in the Retrospective section with six movies by the 80-year-old filmmaker including "Charles, Dead or Alive" (1969), "The Salamande" (1971) and "Light Years Away" (1981).

Swiss actor Jean-Luc Bideau will attend the festival as Tanner's representative.

Other guests include Tsai Ming-liang whose latest work "Face" ("Visage") will be in the festival as well. The film was shot in Paris' Louvre museum and features a cast of big names from France and Taiwan, including Fanny Ardant and Laetitia Casta as well as Tsai's regular leading man, Lee Kang-sheng.

TALKING MOVIES

>> The 7th World Film Festival of Bangkok will be held at Paragon Cineplex from November 6 to 15.

>> Tickets are Bt100 (Bt50 for students).

>> Results of the festival's poster competition will be announced on October 19 via the festival website and all media in the Nation Group.

>> On the Internet: www.WorldFilmBKK.com.

-- The Nation 2009/10/08