Thailand with love

THAI FILMS have been doing well all over Asean in recent years, with such mega hits as ““ATM”, “First Love” and “Pee Mak” among the movies that have enjoyed commercial success in the Philippines.
But no Thai film had ever been selected for Cinemalaya, the Philippines’s biggest and best- known film festival until this year, when last year’s GDH production “Pohnjakfah” (“ A Gift”) was screened on two consecutive days at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Metro Manila.

“A Gift”, which features three compositions of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and was released as a tribute to him and his musical talent following his passing on October 13 last year, was preceded at the festival by a short concert of his works. The recital was even more touching as the musicians were the descendants of those Filipinos with whom the late King jammed during an official visit to the country in 1963.
The anthology itself is inspired by three of his musical pieces “Love at Sundown” (Yarm Yen”), “Still on My Mind” and “New Year Greeting” (“Porn Peemai”) and tells three touching and inter-related stories about the power of love.
Directed by GDH stalwarts Chayanop Boonprakob and Kriangkrai Vachiratamporn “Love at Sundown” focuses on two strangers, serial womaniser Beam (Naphat Siangsomboon) and Pang (Violette Wautier) who are asked to be stand-ins for a Russian scholarship awards ceremony and farewell banquet rehearsal. Although Pang is on high alert after finding out that her boyfriend has been unfaithful, she cannot help but be drawn to Beam. 
Nithiwat Tharatorn’s “Still on My Mind” segment centres on Fa (Nittha Jirayangyuen) who has to quit her event-organising job to look after her father who is stricken with Alzheimer’s. One day, as Fa tries to remember how to play her mother’s favourite song on the piano, she notices that the song acts as a trigger for her father’s memory. Fa then decides to practise and perform the song “Still on My Mind” as a wedding anniversary gift for her father. She enlists the help of Aey (Sunny Suwanmethanont), her late mum’s eccentric piano tuner, to help her out and the tow fall in love.
“New Year Greeting”, meanwhile, is directed by Jira Maligool, and is set in an office. At the centre of the story is Llong (Chantavit Dhanasevi), a former lead singer with a rock band but now a financial analyst. When his co-worker Kim (Neungthida Sophon), finds out about Llong’s musical past, she tries to inspire him to become part of an ad-hoc amateur band made up of other employees who enjoy playing music after office hours. Llong tries to move on and forget his failed attempt at becoming a rock star but ironically, once he starts playing with the office band, rediscovers the same inner joy as when he played music for the very first time.
Thanatip Upatising, the Thai ambassador to the Philippines, was on hand for the reception and the screenings on August 11 and 12.
JR Bustamante, a prominent blogger in the Philippines, was amazed at how King Rama IX of Thailand could give music as a precious gift to his people. 
“Watching this movie made me feel the happiness felt by Thais when they listen to his royal compositions,” she told XP.
Bustamante added that she had fun watching “A Gift” though some of the emotional scenes brought tears to her eyes. 
“And when I walked out of the theatre, I felt good,” she said happily. 

Actress Violette wasn’t at the theatre for the screening but told XP she’d heard a lot of positive feedback. 
Director Chayanop added that language was not a barrier because the audience could always relate to good content. 
“When GDH produces a movie, Thais are our target. But as time passes, we have realised that our movies do well in other Asean nations too. Peoples in the same region can relate to our stories, our content and our gags,” he said. 
Irene Obligacio-Rada, director of the Corporate Communication Division of Cultural Centre of the Philippines who interviewed Chayanop, expressed an interest in showing the film to Filipino children too.
Popular actor Chantavit confirmed that the movie had been produced as a gift for the Thai people. 
“I am very glad that now this gift has been shared with people in other countries too,” he said. 
The two screenings in the Philippines drew huge crowds, with some 400 film fans attending the August 11 show and another 200 turning out the following day.. 
“We have chosen ‘A Gift’ for the Cinemalaya because we wish to pay tribute to King Rama,” Thanatip said, adding that Thai movies, and especially “Pee Mak”, had been well received by Filipino cinephiles. 
“Thais and Filipinos have something in common. They appreciate romantic stories and young actors/actresses,” he said. 
“And Thai ghost movies prove popular with Filipinos. Locals find Thai ghosts scary,” he added. 
Thanatip is convinced that movies help people of different nations to connect and would like to see Thais learning more about the people of the Philippines.
“Filipinos know a lot about Thailand and Thais already,” he said.