Warring gods, cops, a maid and a foreigner's corpse

A 30-minute animation of temple murals was among the award winners at the 15th Thai Short Film and Video Festival, which wrapped up on Sunday at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

"Ramakien Animation: Episode 1" won the top prize for animation, the Payut Ngaokrachang Medal, named for the pioneering Thai cartoonist. It also won the Popular Vote Award.

Lavishly brought to life by a team of 50 animators led by director Atitat Kamonpet, "Ramakien" was made by photographing murals depicting the epic at Wat Phra Kaew and then digitally separating the characters from the backgrounds and giving them movement.

The result is a motion picture that owes more to Thai shadow-puppet theatre than to the modern cartoons of Disney and Pixar.

"Ramakien Animation: Episode 1" focuses on Phra Ram's battle against the giant Nontok, who wields a lethal diamond finger.

The winner of the festival's top prize for Thai filmmakers - the RD Pestonji Award, named after the pioneering Thai filmmaker - was Taiki Sakpisit for "A Ripe Volcano", which screened earlier this year at the BACC as a video installation. Filmed around the Rattanakosin Hotel, the video captures such images as police, soldiers and a muay thai match for a haunting statement on authoritarianism.

A runner-up in the Pestonji competition was Japanese-schooled director Kong Pahurak's black comedy "Shinda Gaijin", in which a young Japanese woman has to deal with the corpse of a Caucasian man repeatedly turning up in her bathtub.

Eakalak Maleetipawan won for "A Moment in the Rainforest" - a mystical story about a young woman, a tiger ghost and a monk in the forest. And Pramote Sangsorn, fresh off his Cannes Cinefondation residency this year, won runner-up for "The Island of Utopias", a bleak post-apocalyptic drama.

Special mentions went to the three-part "Erotic Fragment No 1, 2, 3" by Anucha Boonyawantana; "Distinction" by Tulapop Saenjaroen and "Mrs Nuan Who Can Recall Her Past Lives" by Chulayarnnon Siriphol. Recalling the title of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 2010 Cannes-award-winning feature, "Mrs Nuan" is about two men burying a dead dog.

Tulapop's "Distinction" had a maid and her employer talking about their lives. Giving their monologues in front of a white background, the two women swap roles back and forth, so after awhile their identities become blurred. "Distinction" also was among the winners of the Vichitmatra Award for distinctive achievement in filmmaking.

The winner of the Duke Award documentary competition, named King Chulalongkorn's brother Prince Sanbassatra, the "Father of Thai Film", was "95110 Postal Dream" by Taweewit Kijtanasoonthorn, about villagers in a Southern community.

The Special White Elephant Award for filmmakers under 18 went to "Change" by Boonjira Phungmee. Eakapon Settasuk won the White Elephant Award for university filmmakers with "Kari Yuka".

The winner of the International Competition was the German-Romanian production "Silent River" by Anca Miruna Lazarescu, about two men who reluctantly team up for a journey.

Judges were directors Taweewat Wantha, Sivaroj Kongsakul and Nitiwat Chonwanichsiri for the White Elephant Award; film critics Prawich Tangaksorn and Teepanun Petchsri for the Special White Elephant; directors Boongsong Nakphoo and Apiwat Sangepattasrima and Matichon web editor Prab Boonpan for the Duke Award; animators Suthep Tannirat and Kompin Khemkumnerd for the Payut Ngaokrachang Medal; director Wisit Sasanatiang and Singaporean film expert Yuni Hadi for the International Competition and directors Pimpaka Towira and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit cinematographer Yukolthorn Mingmongkol for the RD Pestonji Award.

More than 700 entries were submitted this year - 470 from Thailand and 262 for the International Competition. All of them were shown in July and August in the Short Film Marathon, with the finalists selected for the festival.

 Trophy collection

 Here are the winners of the 15th Thai Short Film and Video Festival:

RD Pestonji Award (Thai filmmakers)

Winner: "A Ripe Volcano", Taiki Sakpisit

Runners-up: "Shinda Gaijin", Kong Pahurak; "A Moment in a Rain Forest", Eakalak Maleetipawan; "The Island of Utopias", Pramote Sangsorn

Special Mentions: "Erotic Fragment No 1, 2, 3", Anucha Boonyawatana; "Distinction", Tulapop Saenjaroen; "Mrs Nuan Who Can Recall Her Past Lives", Chulayarnnon Siriphol

RD Pestonji Award (International Competition)

Winner: "Silent River", Anca Miruna Lazarescu (Germany-Romania)

Special Mentions: "Open Doors", Ashish Pandey (India); "Machine Man", Alfonso Moral and Roser Corella (Spain)

White Elephant Award (university filmmakers)

Winner: "Kari Yuka", Eakapon Settasuk

Runners-up: "Imperial Earths", Phatthi Buntuwanit; "Toilet", Koranan Chuenpichai

Special Mentions: "Unlikeness", Pitchnut Suktorn; "NB", Nattaphan Boonlert; "Swimming Pool", Puangsoi Aksornsawang

Special White Elephant (filmmakers under 18 years)

Winner: "Change", Boonjira Phungmee

Runners-up: "House", Setthasiri Chanjaradpong; "Pedigree", Rajchapruk Tiyajamon

Special Mentions: "Lesbian Fantasy", Teerath Wangwisarn; "The Horse-Faced Lady", Narongchai Naksrichan

Payut Ngaokrachang Medal (Thai animation)

Winner: "Ramakien Animation: Episode 1", Atipat Kamonpet

Runners-up: "Stop Here", Twatpong Tangsajjapoj; "Pupa", Kraisit Bhokasawat

Special Mentions: "Be with You Japan", Cholawit Xuto; "Over the Rainbow", Phattharamon Urahvanicha; "Makprao", Sarida Pao-aroon; "Together", Nalat Choravirakul

Duke Award (Thai documentaries)

Winner: "95110 Postal Dream", Taweewit Kijtanasoonthorn

Runners-up: "Our Home Huai Hin Dam", Pisut Srimhok; "A Brief History of Memory", Chulayarnnon Siriphol

Kodak Film School Competition (cinematography)

"Unlikeness", Pitchnut Suktorn

Vichitmatra Award (distinctive achievement in filmmaking)

"Night Blind", Chonlasit Upanigkit and Rasika Prasongtham

"Just Came Back from the Magic Kingdom Far Far Away", Pass Patthanakumjon

"Distinction", Tulapop Saenjaroen

"Swimming Pool", Puangsoi Aksornsawang

Pirabkao Award (freedom and equality issues)

"Three Generations; What Do They Think?", Panu Saeng-xuto and Kwankaew Ketphol

Best Acting

Cholpassorn Khahakantara, "Just Came Back from the Magic Kingdom Far Far Away"

Popular Vote

"Ramakien Animation: Episode 1", Atipat Kamonpet

ENCORE, ENCORE

 See the award winners during encore programmes of the Thai Short Film and Video Festival at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom.

The RD Pestonji and Special White Elephant programmes will be shown this month.

The White Elephant and Duke shorts will be screened in October.

The International Competition and animation entries are set for November.

Visit www.Fapot.org for the schedule.