Thai Pitch returns

After a five-year absence, the Thai Pitch returns this year to the Cannes Film Festival, seeking backers for projects by Aditya Assarat, Boonsong Nakphoo, Pimpaka Towira and Somkiat Vithuranich.
Supported by the Culture Ministry, the Thai Pitch will be held tomorrow at the Thai Pavilion. Producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon (“Headshot”) is the coordinator.
Somkiat, seeking to follow up his 2009 award-winner “October Sonata”, will serve up “A Culinary Murder”, about a maid who marries the gluttonous master of the house. It’s based on a short story by National Artist MR Kukrit Pramoj. Pawas Sawatchaiyamet (“Headshot”, “The Red Eagle”) is producing.
Producer-director Pimpaka, whose past features have included “One Night Husband” and “The Truth Be Told”, seeks to tell “The General’s Secret”. It involves a young NGO worker and her mother and the mysterious “auntie” masseuse who enters their lives and has secrets that go to the roots of Thailand’s modern political history.
Boonsong continues telling stories of the rural poor with “The Way Back”. He won a jury prize at the Deauville Asian Film Festival this year for “Four Stations”, which followed up 2011’s “Poor People the Great”. For “The Way Back”, Boonsong joins with producer Pantham Thongsang (“Tropical Malady”, “Mid-Road Gang”) to follow a man who leaves Bangkok for the countryside but finds that life is less idyllic than expected.
And “Wonderful Town” and “Hi-So” director Aditya and his producer Soros Sukhum are in the hunt for “The White Buffalo”. The cross-cultural tale looks at the European men who in the past came East to conquer and build their own paradise. Today, the balance of power has changed, and the farangs are large only in body but are outmatched by the cunning minds of the Thais.

CELEBRATING COMMERCE

Despite there being no entries from Thai directors in competition this year in Cannes, the bigwigs still feel compelled to celebrate as they do every year on the Croisette at Thai Night.
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya will preside over tomorrow night’s festivities, which are organised by the International Trade Promotion Department of the Commerce Ministry.
Among the causes to celebrate is the world premiere of the Cannes Palme d’Or contender “Only God Forgives”, a crime thriller by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The followup to “Drive” was shot in Bangkok and stars Ryan Gosling along with Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm, singer Ratha “Yaya Ying” Po-ngam and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Another high point was the Chinese road comedy “Lost in Thailand”, which was shot here with the support of the Tourism and Sport Ministry and went on to become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time, beating the likes of “Avatar” and “Titanic”.
Glasses will be raised for the record-setting 53 foreign film productions hosted in Thailand in 2012, a 45 per cent increase over 2011.
And the industry is still cheering the 2010 Palme d’Or win by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, even if they never paid him much mind before. They’ll also toast young director Chookiat Sakveerakul, whose high-concept thriller “13: Game of Death” is being remade by Hollywood as “Angry Little God”.
Finally, drinks will be downed to honour Banjong Pisanthanakun, director of “Pee Mak Phra Khanong”, which has smashed all the records at the Thai box office.