All Asean hands on deck in Bangkok
THE FULL LINE-UP and schedule for the Bangkok Asean Film Festival was finally released on Tuesday, with the second edition of the Culture Ministry’s free fest running from today until next Tuesday at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld.
All 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are represented, even two countries that don’t make a lot of films – Brunei, with the martial-arts drama “Yasmine”, and Laos, with the romantic social drama “Above It All”.
An addition to the programme is the Myanmar entry, “Kayan Beauties”, an adventure tale about three young women from the often-exploited “long-necked” tribe going in search of a youngster abducted by human traffickers. A report in The Nation last Friday incorrectly referred to another Myanmar film that it turns out won’t be showing.
Along with the 10 recent films from around the region, there are three “Asean Classics”, including the 1975 social drama “Manila in the Claws of Light” by Lino Brocka at 2pm tomorrow and 1954’s “After the Curfew” from Indonesia at 4.35pm tomorrow.
The third classic entry, the rare 1972 Cambodian fantasy “The Snake Man” is in rather dire shape, with the first 10 minutes missing. Also it is Thai-dubbed with no English subtitles. Nonetheless, the Film Archive and the Culture Ministry are making a big deal about it, flying in Cambodian starlet Dy Saveth for a meet-and-greet at 6.30 tonight before the 7pm screening. For details, search on Facebook for “the special screening of three classical Asean films”.
Aside from “The Snake Man”, all movies will have English and Thai subtitles. Entry is free, with tickets handed out 30 minutes before the shows. After Bangkok, the fest will travel to SF cinemas in Khon Kaen from next Thursday to May 4, Surat Thani from May 6 to 12 and Maya Chiang Mai from May 13 to 19.
For the schedule, see SFCinemaCity.com.
Also showing
Alliance Francaise – A strict judge is in an awkward situation in the comedy “Nine-Month Stretch” (“9 mois ferme”), which screens at 7 tonight in French with Thai subtitles. Wednesday’s English-subbed offering is “Coup de chaud”, a murder mystery set during a heat wave in a small African town. Admission is Bt100. For details, check AFThailande.org.
Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand – A mother is determined to break the cycle of arranged marriages in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribe, and she takes her daughter and goes on the run in the adventure “Dukhtar” (“Daughter”), directed by New York-based Pakistani filmmaker Afia Nathaniel. It was Pakistan’s official submission to the Academy Awards. Admission is Bt150 for non-members. For more details, check FCCThai.com.
The Friese-Greene Club – With a venue in Phnom Penh threatened with “strong action” from the Cambodian government if it showed the documentary “I am Chut Wutty”, director Fran Lambrick granted permission for a screening in Bangkok’s private film club. It covers the hushed-up slaying of an environmental activist in Cambodia in 2012. The show is at 8pm on Tuesday. Seating will be first come, first served. For more details, search on Facebook for the Friese-Greene Club’s page. Other films at the club include “Seven Samurai” at 7pm on Sunday, the Coen Bros’ debut “Blood Simple” tonight at 8 and Carol Reed’s “Our Man in Havana” next Wednesday. For more information, check FGC.in.th.
