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Working practices in Thai independent film production and distribution

2007; Routledge; Volume: 8; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14649370701238722

1469-8447

Sudarat Musikawong,

South Asian Cinema and Culture

Abstract Abstract In the late 1990s, independent Thai films became a new burgeoning industry, with the beginnings of international recognition. Taking three case studies, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Mysterious Object at Noon (), Thunska Pansittivorakul's Voodoo Girls (2003 Thunska, Pansittivorakul. 2004. Personal interview, 19 February [Google Scholar]) and Aditya Assarat and Mingmongkol Sonakul's Ma‐mee/ Three Friends (), I argue that the digital format for DVD/VCDs is paving the way for independent filmmakers/producers to participate in the art film market abroad and to cut production costs. Following the economics of money flows makes it clear that 'independent film' in Thailand is less about economic independence than a type of branding and packaging of aesthetics and content. While film, economically, is never outside the workings of capital, the content and style of the three film projects considered here seek to break out of the conventions set by the commercial Thai film narrative style. Keywords: Independent Thai filmproduction practicesbrandingpopular cultureSoutheast Asian studies Notes 1. This paper was revised from a presentation for the conference New Southeast Asian Cinemas: Where Big Budget Meets No Budget 3–4 May 2004 at the Asia Research Institute National University of Singapore. The author would like to thank the University of California Pacific Rim Research Program, the many people who gave their time for interviews, and Dr Khoo Gaik Cheng for her patience and critical insights. 2. For example, Mangpong, a VCD/DVD distribution company, buys Blissfully Yours only as part of a package from Sahamongkol Productions. This package of many films, including horror and comedy films, makes it commercially profitable to sell art house films. So while a VCD distribution of Blissfully Yours caused some rumblings with the Thai Censor Board for the nudity, the purchase of other films compensated for this less profitable art house film that troubled some members of the Censor Board. 3. Laura Mulvey's discussions on fetishism takes note of how both commercial cinema and avante gardeist negation against that cinema have been transformed by new conditions of production, however, she finds both mutually interdependent in their mutual negations. See Mulvey (1993 Mulvey, Laura. 1993. 'Some thoughts on theories of fetishism in the context of the contemporary'. October, 65: 3–20. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]: 5). 4. For Thai Film Foundation and Thai Film Journal, see http://thaifilm.com. 5. The Hub Ho Hin team also produced and marketed films like Iron Ladies and Mekong Full Moon Party. 6. Hall's idea that media articulate particular political shifts in public discourse is a useful one, as I find similar movements where the 'indie' aesthetic is an articulated aesthetic opposed to the commercial aesthetic, disenchanted by the clean formulaic music and film narratives (Hall 1983 Hall, Stuart. 1983. "'The rediscovery of 'ideology': return of the repressed in media studies'". In Culture, Society and the Media, Edited by: Bennett, Tony, Gurevitch, Michael, Curran, James and Woollacott, Janet. 56–90. New York: Methuen. [Google Scholar]). 7. Bec‐Tero's credits include films like Tears of the Black Tiger (Wisit ), Bangkok Dangerous (Oxide and Danny ), Bangrajan (Thanit ), Goal Club (Kittikorn ), and Moonhunter (Bandit ). See http://www.filmbangkok.com. 8. See http://thaiindie.com/tidppl.htm for more information on the Thai Independent Filmmakers. 9. Manit Srivanichpoom, former advertising creative director turned internationally recognized art photographer and art critic (Manit 2003 Manit, Srivanichpoom. 24 May 2003. Former advertising creative director turn internationally recognized art photographer and Thailand based art critic 24 May, personal interview [Google Scholar]). 10. Some of the films Bernstein discussed included Huckleberry Finn, Skippy, Here Is My Heart, Murder at the Vanities, and Belle of the Nineties. As independent as these films appear to be, many of these film's low budgets, scripts were still subject to approval by studio heads. 11. Unfortunately, Duangkamol passed away, which is a loss to the Thai film industry community. Director Nonzee Nimibutr now runs Cinemasia. 12. According to the latest version, objectionable material includes: endangering national security, criticism of the royal family, defaming a civil servant, state official, or individual, pornographic content, and defaming Buddhism or any other religion. 13. See the Federation web site http://www.thainationalfilm.com. 14. Since Mysterious Object at Noon, Apichatpong has been relatively successful in securing production funding. For example, Blissfully Yours was funded by a Taiwanese producer interested in the arts, while Tropical Malady received funding from Germany, Benneton (Italy), Cinema Funds (Switzerland), Fond Sud (France), and GMM Pictures (Thailand). 15. IMD began as a website for moviegoers in Europe and the US to find films online and to chat about films. Its user‐based politics allows everyone from major film distributors to DIY filmmakers like Thunska to post sales information about their films. See The Internet Movie Database, http://www.us.imd.com. 16. PPP is a premier networking place sponsored by the Korean state initiative advocating Asian films. At the Pusan meeting, PPP awardees are given grants to pursue international co‐productions and secure pre‐market distribution (Schwarzacher 2001 Schwarzacher, Lukas. 2001. 'Promotion plan bears fruit for filmmakers'. Variety, 20 November [Google Scholar]). 17. Thunska will co‐direct with fellow emerging filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse (director of Bangkok in the Evening; To Infinity and Beyond). Heartbreak Pavilion is scheduled for release in 2007. 18. Ma‐mee/ Three Friends was released in 2005 and screened at Toronto and Pusan International Film Festivals. 19. Mingmongkol's credits include One Night Husband, Isan Special, Mysterious Object at Noon. 20. Originally Thunska was to direct the film, but with artistic differences Aditya and Mingmongkol changed the plot of the documentary to its current narrative. 21. Thompson borrows from Roland Barthes' conceptualization of 'writerly rather than readerly… it functions as Barthes imagines the literary work does that makes the reader no longer a consumer, but a producer of the text.' In this sense, as Thompson suggests, anyone can be a producer, pick up a camera and start shooting without the concerns for commercial codes and standards, lighting, narrative structure, and directing or producing (Thompson 2004 Thompson, Stacy. 2004. 'Punk cinema'. Cinema Journal, 43(2): 47–66. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]: 51). See Barthes (1974 Barthes, Roland. 1974. S/Z, Edited by: Miller, Richard. New York: Hill and Wang. [Google Scholar]: 4).