Making a splash on world stage requires govt help, say Thai filmmakers

The subject was part of the agenda at a recent seminar held by the Radio-Television Broadcasting Professional Federation.

Speakers from top film and TV content production companies agreed that government support was necessary if the industry was to be used sustainably as soft power in the global market.

They said the government should come up with clear policies with clear-cut goals for producing Thai entertainment content that can find a following overseas.

Arunocha Phanuphan, TV series producer and managing director of Broadcast Thai Television Co Ltd, cited the soap opera “Buppesannivas” or “Love Destiny” as an example of successful soft-power content.

She said the series created social and economic ripples, influencing many Thais to study history and wear traditional attire. The series was aired on Channel 3 from February to April 2018.

She said the series also quickly became a top trending topic on Twitter, with more than 13 million tweets being posted and re-tweeted. The soap opera also received over 8.3 billion impressions, and help promote tourism.

For instance, she said, the number of visitors to the ancient Wat Chaiwatanaram temple in Ayutthaya grew seven-fold to about 6,000 daily.

The series was also aired in 26 countries and broadcast in 23 countries via Netflix.

The producer explained that content used by the entertainment industry is key to promoting the country. Producers should weave in national art and culture as soft power in the entertainment content, but doing this will require more funding, which is where government support is required.

“Content is king. We must produce quality content that captures the interest of the world audience,” Arunocha said. “But doing this requires a lot of money and the government should support us. Good ideas with poor production quality cannot compete at the international level.”

She added that the government should establish an institution that supports the production and international distribution of Thai entertainment content so the industry can become the country's key soft power.

Wibul Leeratanakhachorn, CEO of Search Entertainment Co Ltd, said it was about time Thailand used the entertainment industry as the main source of soft power.

He pointed out that TV series focusing on the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) population, called “Y” series, have been a prominent source of “soft power” in the international market. He said "Y" series from Thailand have been screened via several platforms in Asia.

The music industry has also provided soft power, with many young Thai singers making it to the NYC Times Square billboard.

Wibul said a special government agency is required to focus on taking Thai entertainment content overseas.

“Our budget and workforce cannot compare to those of content creators in many other countries. But we have several strong points that can push us to the global level. However, we often find ourselves isolated in the world market, so it’s time the government and members of the industry joined hands for sustainable growth,” Wibul said.

Wanruedee Pongsitsak, creative director and screenplay developer at GDH Co Ltd, said Thai content is being accepted more globally, but not enough good content is being created due to budget limitations and the size of the local market.

Wanruedee cited the film “Bad Genius” that her company produced. She said the film was bought for reproduction by Hollywood, yet Thai film distributors did not even think about pushing it overseas.

“The Thai film market is small and doesn’t have enough purchasing power. The market cannot cover production costs. So, the government should help the Thai film industry grow and use it as soft power to promote the country,” Wanruedee said.