“Bad Genius” goes to New York
Thai film “Chalard Games Gong” (“Bad Genius”) is travelling to the Big Apple at the end of next month and will become the first ever film from an Asean nation to open the New York Asian Film Festival, which runs from June 30 to July 15.
The director Nattawut Poonpiriya and lead actress Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying will be there for the screening.
“It’s such an honour! Thank you all so much (from the guy who used to stand in line trying to get a ticket to see a movie in this festival),” Nattawut writes on his Facebook page.
Nattawut earned his degree in stage directing from Srinakharinwirot University’s Fine Arts Faculty before going to study graphic design at Pratt Institute in New York. His directorial debut “Countdown” was shot in the Big Apple.
“Bad Genius” focuses on Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying), a straight-A student who is making plenty of cash on the side from helping Grace (Eisaya Hosuwan) and rich kid Pat (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) take their tests. Lynn’s business skyrockets and the money starts to flood in as scores of students offer her cold hard cash in exchange for exam answers.
One day, Lynn is offered the opportunity to make millions when Pat and Grace devise a plan for her to take the STIC test, an international standardised test for students wanting to enrol in the world’s leading universities. The test is scheduled to take place on the same date and same time at locations all over the world.
The plan is for Lynn to fly to a country in a time zone that’s ahead of Thailand and then send the answers back to her customers. The only setback is that they need another genius to help them pass on the answers in Thailand and the only person that fits the profile is Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul), Lynn’s scholarship-student rival who is staunchly against cheating of any kind.
And in another piece of good news for the film, “Bad Genius” becomes the first 2017 movie to of reach Bt100 million in box-office takings.
