Swans skew YOUNGER

Big box office takings don’t always translate into award nominations but “Pee Mak Phra Khanong”, Thailand’s top grossing flick ever, has succeeded in both, receiving nominations in 13 of the 16 award categories up for grabs at the upcoming Subhanahongsa awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.
Up against the “Pee Mak” giant are low-budget indie films, the social satire “Tang Wong” by Kondej Jaturansamee and the quirky drama “Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy” by Nawapol Tamrongrattanarit with 10 nominations each.
And it seems that both the judging committee and their fellow jurists – members of the industry as a whole – still appreciate Chookiat Sakveerakul’s works, giving his box office bomb “Grean Fiction” no less than nine nods.
This year sees the launch of a new voting system, one that combines a referee system with an open system and features a new and wider range of voters, which should make it more representative of the film industry as a whole.
The inclusion of these voters is reflected in the nominations for the acting awards, with several up-and-coming stars making it to the list for the first time. The are mostly in their teens or early 20s and include former child star Jirayu La-ongmanee and soap heartthrob Nadech Kugimiya.
Only one veteran –Lalita Panyopas – makes it into the Best Actress category, earning her nod for her role as a middle aged woman who falls in love with a much younger man in “Prayoke Sanya Rak.”
But while many of 2013’s movies were aimed at the new generation and thus featured a younger cast, not all of today’s young stars made it the list. A notable example is Mario Maurer who lost out on the Best Actor nomination despite playing the title character in “Pee Mak” though his co-star Davika Hoorne landed a Best Actress nomination and the film’s supporting “gang of three” are nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Industry insiders reveal that Mario case scored high in the open system but didn’t cut the mettle with the jury, knocking his scores down and putting him out of the running.
Vistute Poolvoralaks, president of the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand, adds that the jury’s top scoring for the lesser known films “Tang Wong” and “Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy” has raised a few questions. However, he is pleased overall with the new system, saying that there’s plenty of positive feedback from film crews as well as the media. “They are glad that they can cast a vote towards the movie awards,” he says.
Director Pantham Thongsung is less enthusiastic and says the 15-member jury still has too much influence. The scoring of the open system with its hundreds of voters, he explains, cannot garner sufficient weight to swing any nomination. Thus the jury score will carry the choice.
Visute says that around half of the 1,500 eligible filmmakers cast their votes. “Unfortunately. Many of them didn’t see all the films so they decided not to vote,” says Visute.
“We will evaluate the system and provide information to all voters much earlier in 2014 thus giving them the chance to catch all the films. If the system shows that it’s working, next year we could up the weight of the open system side to 70 per cent and give the jury system just 30 per cent,” says Visute.
Pantham says that if the film crews do indeed have a larger vote next year, the results might well change dramatically. “I would expect more commercial films to be nominated but probably at the cost of the indie films,” he says.
“That’s because voters in the open system rarely go to see indie films and when these are nominated or even win, this is always down to the jury vote. It is not about right or wrong but more about the personal taste of the votes.”
Votes for each of the awards remain open until February 20, after which the scores from both systems will be combined and the winners announced at the award ceremony on February 23.


The Thailand National Film Awards will be handed out on February 23 at the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel Pattaya.

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And the nominees are..

Best Picture

Pee Mak Phra Khanong
Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy
Grean Fiction
Tang Wong
Prachatipathai (Paradoxocracy)

Best Director
Banjong Pisunthanakun (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy
Chookiat Sakveerakul (Grean Fiction)
Kongdej Jaturanrasmee (Tang Wong)
Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Pasakorn Pramoolwong( Paradoxocracy)

Best Screenplay
Nontra Kumwong, Chantawit Thanasewee and Banjong Pisunthanakun (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Chookiat Sakveerakul and Niwaruj Teekaphowan (Grean Fiction)
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Kongdej Jaturanrasmee (Tang Wong)
Manachaya Panitsarn, Worakorn Virakun, Virasinee Raungprchaubkun, Kimhan Kanchanasomjai and Ratchapoom Boonpanyachok (Love Syndrome)

Best Actor
Nadech Kugimiya (Khoo Kam)
Pattadon Janngern (Grean Fiction)
Chinawut Indracusin (Thongsuk 13)
Jirayu La-ongmanee (Last Summer)
Phakhin Khamwilaisak (Love Syndrome)

Best Actress
Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Lalita Panyopas (Prayoke Sanya Rak)
Patcha Poonpiriya(Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Apinya Sakuljaroensuk (Hachima Project)
Suthata Udomsilp (Last Summer)
 
Best Supporting Actor
Pongsathorn Jongwilas (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Nattapong Chartpong (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Auttarut Kongrasri (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Chaiyapol Julien Poupart, Jan Dara: The Finale)
Nutthasit Kotimanuswanich (Tang Wong)

Best Supporting Actress
Bongkot Kongmalai (Nang Fah (Angels))
Ratha Pho-ngarm (Nang Fah (Angels))
Chonnikan Netjui (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Laknara Piatha (Grean Fiction)
Jenjira Jamniansri (Grean Fiction)

Best Cinematography
Narupon Chokkanapitak(Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Sayompoo Mukdeeprom (Last Summer)
Pairach Khumwan(Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Panom Promchat (Jan Dara: The Finale)
MR Umpornpol Yugala, Saran Srisingchai (Tang Wong)

Best Film Editing
Thammarat Sumethsupachok(Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Chonlasit Upanigkit (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Max Tersch (Paradoxocracy)
Manussa Warasingha and Kamonthorn Ekwattanakit (Tang Wong)
Chookiat Sakveerakul and Jirasak Jakrawan (Grean Fiction)

Best Recording and Sound Mixing
Kantana Sound Studio (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Ram Indra Sound Mixing Studio (Tom Yum Goong 2)
Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr, Paisit Panpruegsachart and Teekhadet Vucharadhanin (Tang Wong)
Jettapol Khan (Body Slam Nang Len)
Kantana Sound Studio (Grean Fiction)

Best Original Song
“Sao Karaoke” by Namfon Pakdee (Karaoke Girl)
“Hideko” by Yusuke Namikawa (Khoo Kam)
“Yuewya” by Cin Thosaporn Achawanantakul (Last Summer)
“Young Bao” by Carabao
“Dad Lom Fon” by Sua Krong Band (Grean Fiction)

Best Original Score
Chatchai Pongprapapan and Hualampong Riddim (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Chatchai Pongprapapan (Jan Dara: The Finale)
Somsiri Sangkaew (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Chaibandit Peuchponsub, Apichai Tragoolpadetgrai and Yellow Fang (Tang Wong)
Hualampong Riddim by Wichaya Wattanasab (Last Summer)

Best Art Direction
Akradej Kaewkote (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Patrick Meesaiyati, (Jan Dara: The Finale)
Rasiguet Sookkarn (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)
Rasiguet Sookkarn (Tang Wong)
Sarid Noomahan (Grean Fiction)

Best Costume Design
Suthee Muanwaja (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Vorathon Krisanakalin (Khoo Kam)
Athit Thriakittiwat (Jan Dara The Finale)
Cattleya Paosrijaroen (Tang Wong)
Peem Umaree (Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy)

Best Makeup
Pichet Wongjansom (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Amarit Chokprecha and Metapan Pitithanyapat (Last Summer)
Montri Watlaiad (Jan Dara: The Finale)
Montri Watlaiad (Khoo Kam)

Best Visual Effect
Oriental Post Company (Pee Mak Phra Khanong)
Sasee Company (Thongsuk 13)
Color Boy Film and Post Service Company, The Common Is Company, Aiyara Animation and Studio Company, Weative Studio and Kittipong Umplord (Khoo Kam)
Surreal Studio Company and Thossaporn Poonnart (Tom Yum Goong 2)
Kantana Post Production (Thailand) (Hachima Project)