While studying the late French philosopher Gilles Deleuze's definitive works on the cinema as part of her thesis, Soraya realised her creative juices were being stifled by academic life.

Within weeks, she was on a plane home in search of work on a film set.

"The more I studied, the less I knew about film. I began to question what I loved the most - theoretical knowledge or practical learning. It was time to come back and find out."

Soraya landed work immediately, first on a Vietnamese movie, then as an assistant director to Jira Malikool on his drama "Maha'Lai Muang Rae" ("The Tin Mine").

Less than a year later, she was given the responsibility for directing GTH's first documentary "Final Score".

Soraya has been involved in documentary work before. She was a member of the team who made "Amazing Thailand", a film about the lives of prostitutes that won a White Elephant award in 1998.

"Final Score", which involved a whole year of filming and runs for two hours, was a bigger challenge.

And while she's grateful for the opportunity of working with GTH, she hopes her next project will be free from "business influences".

"I want to tell a simple story that reflects my personal feelings. It need not have a big budget or complex locations.

"It's not even a new approach. But we don't see it very often in Thai films, do we?"

Parinyaporn Pajee, The Nation