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FILM & TV:
Thai Takes II By Ramon Gil for AIA, March 2005
A few months ago, I head the pleasure of watching my first Thai movie. It was called "The Iron Ladies" about a gender bending volleyball team that beats all the odds as well as their homophobic critics. Little did I know the existence of a thriving movie industry in the land mainly known for Pad Thai and "The King and I." And the only reason I was able to watch it was due to the new system of renting DVDs by mail (yes, Netflix). But it's still not the same thing watching a movie on the small screen as watching it in a real theatre. The sad fact is, is that Thai movies rarely, if at all, make it into your local multiplex. Even the Netflix library is somewhat limited. Lucky for me I live a few blocks away from New York's ImaginAsian Theater and on March 31st, Bangkok meets Hollywood! For three days, the ImaginAsian will be featuring Thai Takes 2. A film festival celebrating the contemporary works of Thai and Thai American filmmakers. "Thai Takes 2 is the second Thai film festival in New York. Our objective for this festival is to increase awareness of Thai issues and provide exposure to emerging and established Thai and Thai American filmmakers." says Chanika Svetvilas, program director for ThaiLinks, organizers of the event. "Ideally, we would like to inspire the next generation of filmmakers and deepen the general audience's understanding of Thai culture, history, and politics." adds Svetvilas. The first Thai Takes was also curated and produced by ThaiLinks and cosponsored by Asia Society in 2003 as a program in conjunction with the first retrospective of the work of internationally renown artist Montien Boonma in the United States. Enthusiasm for the film festival convinced the various ThaiLinks members to make it an annual event. But getting a second festival up and running hasn't been without it's problems. Limited resources and various setbacks forced ThaiLinks to postpone the next festival for a year. "The biggest obstacle is getting everyone together! We are all working professionals devoting our personal time to this cause. It's definitely worth it, but sometimes finding time and energy for the festival can sometimes be difficult." admits ThaiLinks volunteer Tana Sarntinoranont.
But the sheer challenges do have other benefits. "The process of putting together the program itself is a wonderful training ground and gives the opportunity for critical dialogue." claims Svetvilas. But the biggest pay-off is that the festival allows the community to see movies that they wouldn't normally have the chance to see. "The truth of the matter is, distributers and theaters only want to show films that are commercially viable." says Sarntinoranont. "Our festival showcases independent filmmakers as well as mainstream Thai films, that many would never consider showing in an NYC theater out of fear of not making money." The festival highlights emerging and established Thai and Thai American filmmakers including features that capture family stories, historical events, mythology and satire as well as experimental shorts with many New York premieres. Among this year's showcase of films are My Girl, A collaboration by six young film taking a nostalgic look at life in a small Thai town during the 1970's when life was simple and the girl next doorwas your best friend; Nang Nak, another period piece taking place in the eleventh lunar month of 1869. In this film, a young man returns from war to his beloved wife Nak and newborn infant son to settle into family life, but nothing is as it seems; In Baytong, a monk in the northeast of Thailand, must leave his remote town in the south of Thailand to take care of his 5 year old niece, Maria, after his sister dies in a terrorist explosion; The Siam Renaissance is a time-travelling movie about a Paris-based archive specialist who warps back to Bangkok as it was 100 years ago, when Siam (Thailand) was still resisting political and cultural colonization by the French and English; The shockingly titled The Adventures of Iron Pussy is about a former go-go boy who works as a 7-Eleven clerk by day and a glamorous superheroine by night; One Night Husband is a touching tale of two women, one a wife, the other her husband's mistress, who grow increasingly close and explore the value of life, love and devotion as women living in contemporary Thai society; The festival wraps up with The Judgement, a romantic farce about a young man who falls victim to village gossip and is ultimately ostracized. There is also a series of narrative film shorts which includes a discussion with filmmakers moderated by Chalida Uabumrungjit, Project Director of the Thai Film Foundation. Aside from the film festival, ThaiLinks programs include discussion groups, Thai language lessons, art exhibits and workshops. "Our most recent program Beyond Pad Thai: Expressing Your Experience was a creative writing workshop to encourage creative voices within the Thai community." says Svetvilas "We aslo plan to publish a chapbook as a beacon for other creative endeavors."
ThaiLinks is completely volunteer run and has limited resources. But that doesn't stop them from taking an active role in contributing to the community. People come to ThaiLinks looking for translators, outreach for social services or networking opportunities. These opportunities are what make it worthwhile for the members of ThaLinks. "What I enjoy is the opportunity to meet new people in the community, sharing experiences, and engaging in critical dialogue." beams Svetvilas. "Very often people are surprised to meet other Thais who are interested in social issues and the arts." ForSarntinoranont, the reward is being able to watch the films. "As an American, I rarely get to view Thai films because they are not readily available. I get to see the work of my fellow Thais and appreciate the beautiful, insightful, and creative work that my native country is producing." Svetvilas has high hopes for this year. "We hope Thai Takes will bring Thais, Asian Pacific Americans, and the general audience together to share a cinematic experience and promote dialogue about the Thai issues presented through film. Thai Takes 2 is also an opportunity to bring added exposure and recognition to Thai cinema and filmmakers and increase the visibility of the Thai community." And indeed the Thai community is not very conspicious when compared to other Asian groups. Aside from the cuisine, most people know very little of the country once known as Siam. Svetvilas hopes that people who come to the festival, at the very least, learn that Thailand is not Taiwan. "Seriously, people really do confuse the two countries! A pet peeve of mine is that very often people's only association with Thailand is AIDS and the commercial sex industry, and of course people love Thai food! Now of course there's the Tsunami." At most, Svetvilas wants people to learn about some of the issues surrounding Thailand. For example, "Thailand is known for having never been colonized, but few people acknowledge the cultural imperialism that exists; or that Thailand was formerly under a dictatorship; that there was a student uprising that resulted in the formation of the Thai Communist Party in the 70s. Thailand's national religion is Buddhism, but a large Muslim community exists in the South that has a complex history of persecution by the Thai government." declares Svetvilas. "Because the Thai community is insular with the Wat (Buddhist temple compound) being the center, there is a lack of awareness that it exists. If your community is unknown, you become invisible."
THAI TAKES 2: Contemporary Thai Film Festival
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