Bring it on, Busan!

“Ong-Bak” director Prachya Pinkaew’s South Korean-Thai martial-arts movie “The Kick” will make its world premiere at the just-opened Busan International Film Festival.
It’s just one of many Thai films in the Busan fest.
There’s also Tongpong Chantarangkul’s “I Carried You Home” in the New Currents competition, the Asian premiere of Kongdej Jaturanrasamee’s “P-047” and the international festival premiere of Sophon Sakdaphisit’s thriller “Laddaland”.
Then there’s ML Bhandevanop Devakula’s “Chua Fah Din Salai” (“Eternity”), veteran director Nonzee Nimibutr’s short film “Superstitious”, Aditya Assarat’s short “6 to 6” and a special screening of Wisit Sasanatieng’s 2000 western “Tears of the Black Tiger”.
“The Kick”, slated for theatrical release in South Korea on November 3, is about a South Korean family of five martial artists running a taekwondo studio in Bangkok. They have to use their skills to stop gangsters from stealing a Thai national treasure.
High-kicking Thai actress Jija Yanin and comedian Petthai “Mum Jokmok” Wongkamlao are in supporting roles. It’s screening in the Midnight Passion programme at Busan.
Also in the midnight slot is “Laddaland”. The latest thriller from studio GTH and Sophon Sakdaphisit, screenwriter of “Shutter” and director of “Coming Soon”, “Laddaland” is a psychological-drama about a family that moves into a Chiang Mai housing development believed to be haunted.
Making its Asian premiere is Kongdej’s “P-047” (“Tae Peang Phu Deaw”), a quirk-filled drama that has a lot of positive buzz going for it after its last-minute out-of-competition addition to last month’s Venice Film Festival.
It’s the story of a locksmith and his pal who break into people’s homes to “borrow” their lives while they’re away. “P-047” screens in the Window on Asian Cinema programme.
In the same slot is “Chua Fah Din Salai”, making its international premiere.
It’s not to be confused with indie director Sivaroj Kongsakul’s “Eternity” (“Tee Rak”), which won the New Currents Award at Busan last year and had a limited release in Bangkok last month. This one is “Outrage” director Mom Noi’s lavish romantic drama about cheating lovers (Ananda Everingham and Ploy Chermarn) chained together.
“I Carried You Home” (“Padang Besar”), the debut feature by indie filmmaker Tongpong, makes its premiere in the New Currents competition. It’s the story of estranged sisters who are reunited by their mother’s death. The film has been supported by Busan’s Asian Cinema Fund, receiving cash for script development and post-production.
Wisit Sasanatieng’s debut feature “Tears of the Black Tiger” (“Fah Talai Jone”) will be screening in the programme on Asian westerns, Men of the East, alongside such other Eastern westerns as Jiang Wen’s “Let the Bullets Fly”.
In the Wide Angle programme are two shorts from among last year’s films commemorating His Majesty the King’s 83rd birthday: “Superstitious” by Nonzee and “6 to 6” by Aditya.
“Superstitious” (“Kaset Ta Korn”) is a colourful comedy about a farmer who plants a genetically modified sunflower seed. Villagers believe the plant has magical powers and worship it, leading to a wildly out-of-control situation.
Aditya’s “6 to 6” (“Pleng Chat Thai”) is a quietly comedic look at workers in an apartment building cleaning their master’s top-floor room. It also screened at the recent Thai Short Film & Video Festival and is actually a prelude to Aditya’s feature “Hi-So”, which screened at Busan last year and opens in Bangkok cinemas next Thursday.
Apart from all those Thai movies, there’s also a look at the old movie houses of Thailand and neighbouring countries in an exhibition of photos by the Chiang Mai-based Southeast Asia Movie Theatre Project.
There’s also the Asian Project Market, where Nonzee and Aditya hope to attract backing for their projects, “Distortion” and “Southeast Loves”.
Further Thai involvement comes from filmmaker-critic Kong Rithdee as a member of the Netpac jury, Aditya judging the short-film competition’s Sonje Award and Apichatpong Weerasethakul as a keynote speaker in the Busan Cinema Forum.

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Caption:
The Busan Cinema Centre is illuminated for Asia’s largest film festival, continuing through October 14.