Thailand Voice

Thai indie filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong is back in the U.S., where her Mundane History has played in the Rotterdam@BAM film series in New York and is now at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival . The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) caught up with Anocha and asked… Read full story >>>

As promised, the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) has mobilised protestors from outside Bangkok to flood the city. They started streaming in from 12 March 2010 for the main rally on 14 March 2010. The UDD (red-shirts) have the intent and organisation to bring down the government… Read full story >>>

4:40 p.m. Marwaan for IPS: By Saturday evening, an estimated 80,000 anti-government protesters from the northern and north-eastern belts of Thailand had been ferried in to the capital in a scene never witnessed since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, say analysts, who described… Read full story >>>

You might not have believed it when you heard or read that Tears of the Black Tiger and Citizen Dog director Wisit Sasanatieng was collaborating with Iron Pussy performance artist Michael Shaowanasai on an Iron Pussy short in Busan . Well, here’s the proof. It’s real. And… Read full story >>>

Jakrawal Nilthamrong’s latest feature Unreal Forest will screen in Milan at the 20th African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival . Via production company Extra Virgin , there’s a trailer for Unreal Forest at YouTube and it’s embedded below. It’s part of the Forget … Read full story >>>

GreenWave Thai Online Radio is broadcast in the Thai language and available 24 hours a day. GreenWave online radio brings the best of Easy Listening with Thai Pop and Thai Charts. Broadcast from Bangkok it is also available within Thailand on 106.5FM Read full story >>>

As mentioned in last week’s post about the Singapore DVD , Jija Yanin’s sophomore action effort Raging Phoenix is being released in the U.K. The date is now set for April 12. Amazon.co.uk has a page ready. No details about special features yet, but DVD… Read full story >>>

The Asian Film Archive , based in Singapore, turns five years old this year. It’s celebrating this weekend. Very short notice I realize, and I’m sorry I didn’t pick up on this earlier, but tonight the Archive has organized Short Films from Asia , a screening at 8 … Read full story >>>

The 14th Thai Short Film & Video Festival is calling for submissions for the fest to be held in August. Shorts can be about anything, made in any style, but not longer than 30 minutes, except documentaries, and completed on or after January 1, 2009. The fest has an international competition… Read full story >>>

Thaksin’s Loss is a post from: ThaiPulse.com/blog/ , a Thailand focused website. ©2009-2010 ThaiPulse Everyone by now knows Taksin lost over a billion US Dollars yesterday. You know, in the big picture it’s not such a big deal. He may make a big… Read full story >>>

  I’m updating the next edition of Lonely Planet’s Laos guide, and have based myself in Vientiane, that country’s capital. I’ve rented a colonial-era shophouse strategically located within walking distance from an excellent Lao restaurant, a traditional Lao sauna, the city’s evening market, two very good French bakeries and the… Read full story >>>

Makha Bucha is one of the 3 major Buddhist Holidays in Thailand. Buddhist holidays are calculated on the Lunar Calendar and this year, 2010, Makha Bucha falls on Sunday 28th February. Makha Bucha is also a national holiday in Thailand but because it falls on … Read full story >>>

In our village house we have a clock in the living room which sits on a shelf in a corner next to the bathroom. It’s a cheap affair, bought for about 200 baht at Nong Khai’s Indo-China market on the Mekong River. Why I bought it heaven knows. Wonderful … Read full story >>>

Agrarian Utopia and Mundane History , two of my picks for best Thai films of 2009 , are showing at the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival . Two Thai shorts are in the line-up as well, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and In Space by Visra Vichit-Vadakan. Uruphong Raksasad’s Agrarian Utopia ( … Read full story >>>

Miss Noot has joined a dancing troupe and is scooting off to unknown parts of Thailand. Okay, not really. She is having a big party at the university she attends, she has finished her degree and it means party time for them … Read full story >>>

Indie filmmakers Noth Thongsriphong and Wichanon Somumjarn are among the attendees of this year’s Berlinale Talent Campus at the Berlin Film Festival. Classes ran from February 13 until today. Noth debuted his highly polished short drama Lost and Found at the World Film Festival… Read full story >>>

Since the end of January, Film Virus has been showing films by the likes of Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal in the Pinoy Classics series at Thammasart University. The series closes this Sunday with Lav Diaz: The Early Years and a chance to see two of the conventional-length features by the boundary-… Read full story >>>

Though Asian films are in the spotlight this year, the Berlinale has been quiet for Thai films. It’s the accompanying European Film Market where the Thai action is. Sahamongkol Film International is there with a big crew headed up by… Read full story >>>

Reuters has rumours that AIS will be selling the iPhone, which is currently available only on True Move. There is no official quote from the operator, who declined to comment, though the article quotes an unnamed industry source who claims. “They have prepared some work on websites and it… Read full story >>>

Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Mundane History follows its recent Tiger Award win in Rotterdam with a North American premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the BAMcinématek ’s Rotterdam@BAM series. The screening is at 6.30pm on Saturday, March 6. You can get tickets at the BAM … Read full story >>>

Mark it: November 5 to 14, 2010. The 8th World Film Festival of Bangkok . The fest is calling for submissions , with an entry deadline of October 1. The countdown begins now. ATTENTION: This is a post from Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal. The url for the source blog is … Read full story >>>

Maj Gen Sanan Kachornprasart was previously Secretary-General of the Democrats and Minister of Interior, but is now a member of Chat Thai Pattana, a coalition partner of the current government. The Bangkok Post reports: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he is unaware of Read full story >>>

Indie director Anocha Suwichakornpong ’s debut feature Mundane History , the Tiger Award winner at the recent International Film Festival Rotterdam, has been reviewed by the industry bible Variety . Here’s the intro : A recently paralyzed young man learns to release some of his anger thanks… Read full story >>>

Wat Sri Chum, an ancient Thai temple in Sukothai, has the largest and perhaps best known Thailand Buddha in Sukhothai. This Thailand Buddha is called Phra Atchana. Wat Sri Chum was built about 700 years ago and forms part of the Sukhothai Historical Park which is now a World Heritage site. Read full story >>>

After its premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam , Thunska Pansittivorakul’s experimental gay romantic thriller Reincarnate will go to Berlin. The screening is at 7pm on February 3 at ICI Berlin (Institute for Cultural Inquiry) along with Thunska’s short films, Vous vous… Read full story >>>

On many occasions in the Land of Smiles I’ve booked into a hotel for an overnight stay. Wonderful Wi and I tend to do so when we fancy a night out in Udon Thani for whatever reason. The scenario as we approach … Read full story >>>

Thai cinephile Jit Phokaew, who maintains the Limitless Cinema blog, has written an article for Indian Auteur on ” 20 Young Independent Thai directors “, about filmmakers on the Thai indie scene who are not yet 30 years old. These are the names to watch in the coming years — the next generation of … Read full story >>>

No Thai films are nominated for the 4th Asian Film Awards. Not sure why. But Thailand is still represented, with film editor Lee Chatametikool nominated for best editing for Karaoke by Malaysian director Chris Chong Chan Fui, who also had Tropical Malady lensman Jarin Pengpanitch… Read full story >>>

Another of the fun day trips you can experience while in Pattaya Thailand is the Mini Siam Park.  Yes it is a little touristy, but most day trips in the area are that way.  This attraction lets you see 100 of the world’s great wonders in miniature. The… Read full story >>>

New Year’s Day 2010 was only just over three weeks ago and a horrific incident occurred in Wonderful Wi’s village just minutes into the start of it. My memory is clear but my mind somewhat confused as to why it all happened. Sure, … Read full story >>>