Tales of inspiration

A few months back, to mark the 50th anniversary of His Majesty the King being honoured for his compositions with honorary membership in the esteemed Institute of Music and Arts of the City of Vienna, Austria, Singha Corporation invited four filmmakers to select songs written by His Majesty as the basis for short films. That project, “Keeta Raja Niphon”, has now come to fruition and the films, compiled into a 130-minute omnibus, will be shown for free from Thursday to Sunday at select Major Cineplex theatres.

Veteran director Nonzee Nimibutr has chosen the song “Chata Cheewit” (“HM Blues”) as the setting for his tale of a friendship that springs up between two elderly women. Pao (Wassana Chalakorn) fed up with her adult children fighting over their inheritance and decides to leave home. Her path crosses with that of Ngern (Neeranuch Patamasut), a poverty-stricken woman who is taking care of her young niece. Ngern is a talented singer though she only sings when she’s alone. When her niece falls sick with kidney disease, Pao convinces Ngern to sing in public again to raise money for the treatment.

Nonzee says he had no hesitation about picking “HM Blues” as it brings back happy memories of his childhood. “When I was a kid, my family would encourage me to sing the song and reward me when I performed it,” he laughs. “I’ve become interested in the lives of the elderly and my two female characters are woven from a story I read in the newspaper. The song reminds us that there is always light at the end of the tunnel no matter how hard life might be,” says Nonzee.

Director Wallop Prasopphol, who makes TV commercials, chose the song “Yim Soo” and uses it to tell the story of a high-school student who is tormented by his classmates because of a condition that prevents him from showing emotional expression on his face. Life changes for the lonely teen when he meets a young girl and out of love for her decides to do something seemingly impossible for someone with his problem – act in a stage play.

“The song ‘Yim Soo’ inspires us to think positively but it is based on life’s realities. It’s not easy for people to do something difficult and keep smiling,” says the director.

Parkpoom Wongphoom, best known for horror films like “Shutter” and “Alone”, says he is delighted to be part of the project and had no hesitation in choosing “Sai Fon” (“Falling Rain”) for his film about the last years in the life of conservationist Seub Nakhasathien.

“I’ve been wanting to make a full-length feature about Seub for a long time so I was delighted when GTH chose me to be part of the project.”

Seub, an official with the Wildlife Conservation Division of the Royal Forest Department, killed himself to bring attention to the constant destruction of nature and this brief biopic is more serious than the three others. Nopachai “Peter” Jayanama plays Seub and the film includes the activist’s most memorable action when he jumped into Chiew-larn Dam in Surat Thani province during the wildlife evacuation in a desperate effort to save hundreds of deer and other wild animals from certain death.

The omnibus closes with a light-hearted story from Yongyooth Thongkongtoon who chose the patriotic song “Kwam Fun Un Sung Sud” (“The Impossible Dream”) as the basis for “Dao”.

Ko is an ordinary boy who tries to make his dad proud by being chosen to raise the national standard just once before finishing primary school. Usually a teacher will choose an outstanding student with exemplary behaviour to raise the flag and so young Ko does everything he can to convince his teacher to choose him for the duty.

“Ko learns that as we strive to reach a dream, we shouldn’t hurt others,” he says.

Each of the four songs gets a new arrangement for its film and these are sung by popular bands and singers in an attempt to attract young people to the cinema.

 Nonzee offers two versions of “HM Blues”, one sung by actress Neeranuch and the other by rock star Thanida “Da Endorphine” Thamawimol. Prakarn Raiwa of Getsunova sings “Yim Soo”, Anchalee Chongkadekij covers “Sai Fon” and Saharat “Kong” Sangkhapreecha is the man behind “Khwam Fan Un Sung Sud”. 

Other projects to mark the 50th anniversary of His Majesty’s arts honour include a TV documentary about his musical talent, inspirational songs and the Pro Musica Junior Camp, which is designed to improve Thailand’s classical music scene by selecting talented youngsters to practice His Majesty’s compositions. 

Music videos in honour of the King under the “Heart of Our Father” collection, composed and sung by Asanee Chotikul and Palmy among others, aim to raise awareness about His Majesty’s numerous activities over the several decades and his dedication to the well-being of the Thai people. 

 

 

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