I must commend your participation in what seems to be a rather rewarding culture for making films. Such exchange of ideas is not only healthy, it is enriching. I am certain our team has already began thinking.

By showing all submitted Thai films, the organizers of this festival must be very tired each year, but they still keep on doing it. Last year they showed about 526 submitted Thai films. The screening of these films took place 6 days a week, 3 hours on Tuesday-Friday, 9 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I really respect them for their enormous effort in holding this festival, which I consider a heavenly space for Thai independent filmmakers and Thai cinéphiles.

By showing all submitted Thai films, I think this festival has given a space for Thai cinéphiles who don’t like to be dictated which films they should or should not see. This festival also gives a space for Thai filmmakers who don’t care for film jury, film awarders, or film selectors. This is a space for filmmakers who don’t care for any aesthetic rules, a space for filmmakers want to be true to their vision, true to their feelings, true to what they really want to say, true to what they really want to make. If the film festival shows only selected films, many Thai filmmakers will not dare to make the films they really want to make. They will try to make only the films which will satisfy the film selectors, so that their films will be selected and will be shown. Their vision will be compromised.

This film festival is divided into two parts. The first part is called Marathon, and it’s the one which shows all submitted Thai films. The second part is the showing of the selected films for the competitions, foreign films, and some special films. Last year about 70 Thai films from 526 submitted films were selected to enter into the competitions.

I enjoy seeing the submitted films in the Marathon part very much, much more than seeing the selected films in the competition part. There are some bad films in the Marathon part, but most of these bad short films are much more tolerable than bad Thai mainstream films or bad Hollywood films.

In the age of Youtube, one can argue that short filmmakers don’t have to rely on film festivals any more. Youtube also gives them freedom to show the films which are true to their vision to the whole wide world. But in my own opinion as a cinéphile, I find that going to see 200-300 short films in the festival in a month is a much more rewarding experience than watching them in Youtube. I just don’t have the time to watch Youtube every day or to read some Thai film webboards to find out who has uploaded his/her latest films onto Youtube. This festival is a much more convenient way for me to see these films.

I don’t know if there is a film festival like this elsewhere or not, the one which shows all the submitted films, not only the selected ones. If there is a film festival like this elsewhere, I think it will help a lot in encouraging new filmmakers to dare to make films in their own styles, to dare to experiment something new, to dare to make films to please himself/herself first, instead of trying to make films to win the mass audience or the film jury first. And when their films are shown in the festivals, they might get some feedbacks from film bloggers, from commenters in film webboards, or from other directors who have a chance to see their films. They will know how to improve their filmmaking skills, instead of knowing only that their films are not selected. They will know that these or those directors like their films very much, and they will become friends and will help each other in the future.

If you love your grandmother very much, and want to make a film about your grandmother’s activities, you can do it, and it will be shown in this kind of film festivals. If you secretly love a friend, you can make a documentary about it, and it will also be shown in the festival. If you are a little bit obsessed with sex, you can also make a film to satisfy this part of yours, and it will also be shown in the festival (in case the film is not against the law). If you hate some political groups very much, you can also make a film about it, and it will be shown. If you want to make a film which pleases your subconscious, you can do it, and it will be shown in the festival. You don’t have to care at all whether other people can understand it or appreciate it or not. By having this kind of film festivals, filmmakers will be free from so-called aestheic rules and wont’ be too nervous while making films. This kind of film festivals will help them dare to make the first step and let them grow in their own ways.

There was also FUSE magazine, which belonged to same company as FUSE SHOWCASE. FUSE was devoted to Thai short filmmakers. The columns in FUSE are about the interviews of Thai short filmmakers, the reviews on Thai short films, the latest interesting clips on Youtube, how to make films, how to send films to film festivals abroad, which cameras to buy, which notebooks to buy, how to create music using digital technology, how to make fake scars on the actors, how to make sound effects, etc. Unfortunately, this monthly magazine only released 31 issues. It has now ceased to be a print magazine and become an online magazine. Its website is at http://www.fuse.in.th/ .

Both FUSE and FUSE SHOWCASE belongs to the same company as BIOSCOPE magazine, a monthly magazine which has released 98 issues so far. However, BIOSCOPE magazine focuses more on cinephile-readers than filmmaker-readers. The columns in BIOSCOPE are about arthouse films. BIOSCOPE magazine also produces some documentaries.

Now I slightly disagree with Prince here that there are no filmmakers in India who are doing interesting shorts. It’s just that we lack a pool or platform lets say like Indian Autuer or Cine Darbaar to help in a broader sense.

So, I wanted to raise this question to Jit sir, regarding the same…That is there a a group of cinephile/critics/ or programmers within Thailand who are helping this short reach out to more people. Eg: Like is there a film magazine in print in Thaliand?

Since, reading this article and the later as one googles for more on these filmmaker and Thai cinema I realize that there is a definite pool( or I can be wrong here) of like minded people who are helping such films to at least be seen or be pushed ahead.

Thank you for your article, sir and the comments.

As for my reply to Kavita above, I also want to add that most of the filmmakers in my list might use their parents’ money to make films because they are young. I arbitrarily choose only filmmakers whom I assume are not over 30 years old in this “young” director list. As for Thai independent filmmakers who are over 30 years old, there are also a few of them who are sponsored by foreign funds, the ones you often find accompanying many film festivals around the world. But there are also a group of Thai short filmmakers who use their own money to make great films, though their films are very low-budgeted. Some of these short filmmakers work as an office employee or a pharmacist by day (I have heard a rumor that one of them work as a janitor), and make films in their spare time. Manussak Dokmai, one of my most favorite Thai filmmakers, used to make four short films which cost only 2.4 US$ (80 baht) each. He just borrowed a camera from his friend to make them. He also used to live with only 0.3 US$ (13 baht) a day and suffered a lot from hunger at that time. I guess that’s one of the reasons why he won’t waste too much money making films. Weerasak Suyala, who is a policeman, made a very weird, unique, and funny film called THE PEN (2008), which is 60-minute long, but it costs only 50 US$ to make this cult film. Somehow I can’t help feeling very passionate for these low-budgeted filmmakers.

Some trivia about this \"influence\" topic:

1. One of the first Thai films which are influenced by Apichatpong is BLACK-AND-WHITE FILM (2001, Montree Saelo, 6 minutes). This film is inspired by WINDOWS (1999, Apichatpong). I remember that I saw BLACK-AND-WHITE FILM and liked it a lot, but I can\’t remember any details about this film now.

2.Chaiwat Wiansantia said in his interview in a Thai magazine called FUSE SHOWCASE VOL. 4 that Apichatpong is one of his favorite artists, and I think Chaiwat also make semi-documentary, semi-fiction, semi-experimental, semi-poetic films like Apichatpong. Chaiwat\’s films also pay attention to nature like Apichatpong\’s films.

3. Attapon Pamakho said in his interview in FUSE SHOWCASE VOL.3 that the forest scene in his gay film HASAN is inspired by TROPICAL MALADY.

4. In POLITICALLY LAWYER AND NARRATIVE CINEMA (Chaloemkiat Saeyong), the name Apichatpong is mentioned. I guess Chaloemkiat\’s experimental films may partly be inspired by Apichatpong, too.

5.Sivaroj Kongsakul, an interesting Thai filmmaker, talked about what he learned from Apichatpong in Fuse Magazine vol. 26 (March, 2009). He talked that once Apichatpong told him to observe how the colors of leaves were changed according to the light reflecting on the leaves. That experience makes Sivaroj understand something about Apichatpong\’s perspective and nature.

6. I guess Thai filmmakers who may be partly inspired by Apichatpong include Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Tanatchai Bandasak, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa, Nok Paksnavin, and Chaisiri Jiwarangsan. Something in SLEEPING BEAUTY (Chulayarnnon) and ENDLESS RHYME (Tanatchai) reminds me of the poetic quality of Apichatpong\’s films. I\’m not sure about Nawapol. Some of his films are very slow and atmospheric, such as SEE and \"THERE, THERE\" (2005, 28 min), but maybe Nawapol is inspired more by Tsai Ming-liang than by Apichatpong.

7.The Thai censorship on SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY caused a lot of anger for Thai filmmakers, and they made a few short films to protest them.

8. Tossapol Boonsinsukh is an interesting case. After I first saw his films in 2005, I assumed that he might be inspired by Apichatpong or Sasithorn Ariyavicha, because his films are very slow and atmospheric like the films of these two artists. After that, I had a chance to talk to him, and found that he might had never seen a film by Sasithorn. He also said that his favorite filmmakers include Prabda Yoon, Pen-ek, and Takeshi Kitano!?!?!

After knowing about this, I began to see the influence of Pen-ek on some films by Tossapol. It\’s hard to describe this influence in words. It\’s a kind of \"cute feelings\" or \"cool feelings\" found in the early films of Pen-ek. However, though I like most films by Pen-ek, I prefer Tossapol\’s films to Pen-ek\’s films, because I think the feelings in Tossapol\’s films are not \"forced\", but some feelings in Pen-ek\’s films seem \"forced\".

9.Phaisit Phanphruksachat is also an interesting case. He once worked with Apichatpong in MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON. After that, he made some films which are semi-documentary, semi-fiction, semi-experimental. One might (wrongly) assume that Phaisit may be influenced by Apichatpong. But some of my friends think that this is not the case. My friends also guess that MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON may be partly inspired by Phaisit, instead of the other way around. If Apichatpong is Thai Jean-Luc Godard, Phaisit is Thai Chris Marker.

This comparison does not mean I think Apichatpong\’s films are like Godard\’s films. I mean Apichatpong and Phaisit are both great Thai artists who may or may not influence each other. And Phaisit may even come into the scene a bit earlier than Apichatpong. However, I still haven\’t had a chance to see Phaisit\’s early films such as MADANG BO SAI (1999) and KLASS AND KIANG TALKING (year unknown), which is six-hour long.

But the results are so bad, that I can’t even name one short filmmaker. Though I consider myself a serious film goer. You can ask that to IA people who know me But in my entire cine-going experience at least I’m not able to bump into worthwhile film.

I don’t know where the problem lies. If you see some of the movies based on the themes mentioned you will die laughing at the quality. Anyways, this is not a diatribe against films here, but a grave concern.

PS: How much is the effect of Thai directors like Joe, Pen-Ek and others on this new group ? Meaning in terms of influence or stylistics what do you see usually?

As for your questions:

1. Sadly, I think there is no real market for short filmmakers in Thailand right now. Some of these short filmmakers make films because they are film students in universities, and they have to make films as required by the film courses they are taking. But most of the short filmmakers in my list also make films just to satisfy their needs, which I think is a very good thing. I like the fact that they make films not because they want money, good grades, awards, or an entry into the mainstream film business, but they make films just because they want to make them.

It would be great if there is a market for them, but I can’t see it happen in Thailand now.

2. I guess most filmmakers in my list use their parents’ money. But what is interesting right now is that many short filmmakers in Thailand are funded by various projects, such as a no-smoking project, a promoting-good-people project, an AIDS-awareness project, a don’t-drive-drunk project, a supporting-minorities project, or something like that. In these cases, the short filmmakers have to make films to satisfy the project owners, so most of the resulting films are good, but not extremely controversial or extremely experimental.

I also like the fact that filmmaking nowadays seems to cost less and less, so Thai short filmmakers who can fund themselves are not limited to Bangkok bourgeois people any more. Nowadays we can see more and more films made by people from upcountry. I think the digital technology really help democratizing filmmaking in Thailand.

1) Do these filmmakers get a release somewhere? Meaning is there a market for short filmmakers in Thailand?

2) What kinda funding support do these filmmakers get?

Fabulous article once more.