Our cinematic talent needs more support

A Thai director has once again scooped the top award at an international film festival, reminding us of the abundance of talent our movie industry has to offer. Jakrawaal Nithihamrong’s “Vanishing Point” wowed judges at the movie festival in Rotterdam, becoming the fourth Thai indie production to win silverware at the Dutch showcase.  
The win bolstered Thailand’s reputation around the globe as a hotbed of cinematic gifts, highlighted by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s triumph at Cannes four years ago. But that status doesn’t seem to hold back home. While our independent filmmakers fly the Thai flag at festivals overseas, they go virtually unnoticed in their homeland, which is failing to capitalise on this deep pool of talent.
Jakrawaal, Apichatpong and their independent peers all rely on funding from overseas to make their movies. A slew of other, less-known Thai filmmakers are also out there somewhere, pitching ideas to potential financiers in a bid to get their visions onscreen. Unfortunately, Thai taxpayers’ money plays little role in nurturing these local talents.
Matters aren’t much better in Thai mainstream cinema, despite the fact that the number of studios has grown thanks to commercial success. Like other art forms, cinema is not deemed worthy of serious support or assistance. Thai films have received no privileges at home and must compete head-to-head with Hollywood blockbusters with far higher production budgets.
Meanwhile regional neighbours like China and South Korea, realising their home-grown films are not on an equal footing with their Hollywood counterparts, have begun supporting their filmmakers. China uses a quota to limit the number of foreign films shown to a few dozen per year, while South Korea reserves most of its theatres for screening local films. These measures have ignited controversy abroad, but they reflect the political determination of the local powers-that-be to help home-grown talent.
Visoot Poolvoraluk, president of the National Federation of Thai Film Associations, has raised concerns that Thai movies will this year face fierce competition from big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. Last year Thai films earned around Bt1 billion in total at the box office, a modest return from the 70 films screened. Some producers, like the major studios Sahamongkol and GTH, boost their earnings by selling their pictures abroad, which helps pay for their big-budget titles.
There have been attempts to support local independent talents but so far the measures implemented have lacked strategy and focus. This reflects a decade of confusion among the authorities over whether to promote Thai films as culture, as industry, or both.
To end the confusion, the Culture Ministry and Tourism Authority must come up with a clear and sustainable strategy to support Thai movies. Wasting money on individual eye-catching projects will not nurture talent in the long term. The lack of such a strategy stems from a lack of political will. Talented Thai filmmakers have once again proved that they deserve attention and support. The ball is now back in the authorities’ court.