Film directors urge more screening of Thai films in movie theatres
Cinema operators in Thailand should be fair in offering screen space to Thai films so that people can watch Thai movies and their makers can generate revenue, a film body said in an open letter on Tuesday.
It has been found that many Thai films received low screen allocation compared to Hollywood or foreign films, the letter by the Thai Film Directors’ Association said.
For instance, Thai action fantasy thriller film "Khun Pan 3" is being screened three times daily at Paragon Cineplex in Bangkok's Pathumwan district. In comparison, Marvel superhero film "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” gets six screenings.
The open letter claimed that many Thai filmmakers avoided making high-quality films, as there was no guarantee they would be able to generate high revenue.
"This has caused many people to lose faith in Thai films, whose content has become repetitive and whose growth is stagnant," the association said.
The letter urged the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association to tackle this issue by negotiating with cinema operators on film screen allocation.
"This will benefit audiences and promote the development of the Thai film industry in the long term," the association said.
The letter also asked media outlets to publicise this issue to create awareness among audiences.
"We hope that the issue will be solved to maintain fairness in allocation for screening for Thai films," the association added.
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