Lights,action, woof!

Moviegoers in need of a break from slapstick comedy or seat-gripping horror will have their prayers answered on Thursday with the arrival in theatres of the new film from Pantham Thongsung and Somkiet Withuranit.

"Ma Mha See Kha Krub" ("Ma Mha") offers viewers plenty of adorable behaviour from a cast of cute, if unknown, stars who don't have to worry about hair, make-up and wardrobe. And don't expect the wellgroomed Golden Labrador heroes of "Air Bud" or the St Bernard superstars of "Beethoven" - the leads in this flick are all played by former strays.

Based on the picture book "Gang Khang Thanon", the film tells the story of a canine gang living in a suburban community whose lives take a turn for the worse when the landlord decides to sell the buildings in the area to a superstore franchise. To encourage the people to leave, the owner sets a few fires and soon everyone has departed, the crueller ones abandoning their pets in the process.

Led by the elder dog Lung Kafae, the surviving gang members team up and decide to seek a better life in the so-called Sunakkhavadee - literally dog heaven. But the only way to reach this idyll is to cross a 10-lane highway and the bad news is that no dogs have ever survived the journey.

While the pooches ponder their plight they are joined by Makham, a Thai pure-bred who has made his owner so angry that he's been ditched.

Makham knows that the only chance to cross the highway is on Loy Krathong night when the road will be temporarily closed for a parade.

"It's a story about harmony, friendship and helping each other get through hard times," says Pantham.

The film was originally meant to be an animation, but Pantham was so inspired by His Majesty the King's efforts to support Thai dogs that he decided to make the movie with real-life canines.

He also selected Somkiet as director but kept his choice secret until the script was finished.

The two had worked together on Pantham's debut "I-Fak" ("The Judgement"), a critically acclaimed film with a strong social message that won Somkiet the critic's award for Best Screenplay.

"I thought he would refuse my offer, as it's a really tough project for a directorial debut. So I decided to direct it with him," Pantham explains.

Although "Ma Mha" is a light-hearted film, it touches on a number of problems simmering below the surface in today's society: the growing invasion by foreign superstores, rogue landlords, irresponsible pet owners and the preference for pure-bred dogs over mongrels or Thai breeds.

But the directors also wanted to entertainment moviegoers, so they invited talented comedian Watchara Parn-iam and TV sit-com scriptwriters to brainstorm on the final scripts.

And rather than use the latest technology to get their canine stars to move their mouths and talk like humans, "Ma Mha" opts for the natural approach. Audiences may find it a little strange at the beginning of the film to see the dogs with voice-overs but minus the lipsynching, but these pooches have learned enough tricks to carry the adventure.

"If we'd used computer graphics to make the dogs talk like humans, the credit would have gone to CG. Our aim was to showcase the talents of the dogs," Pantham explains.

The directors turned to Chaiyaphak Dog Training Centre for help. They found Lung Kafae living just down the road, while Makham - his name means Tamarind - was discovered just before he was about to take the stage at a dog contest.

Once casting was complete, the trainers started work on each scene. The dogs would

be trained to follow orders, rehearse in places dressed to resemble the real location and

practice again and again until they got it

right.

"But there were still plenty of problems. Sometimes I felt that they were teasing us. When I said rehearse, they could do it perfectly, but when I said action, they forgot their moves," says Pantham.

Casting for the voice-overs was also important, as the directors were determined that the dubbing should match the character of each canine star.

Pantham wanted to go for a professional dubbing team, but Somkiet said it would never work. And he was right.

"We tested by screening the rushes without dubbing and everyone laughed. After the voice-over by the professional team, they were silent. It's all about believing. Since we didn't use CG to move their lips, exaggerated jokes didn't work. The dubbing had to be appropriate," says Pantham.

Acclaimed comedian Thep Pho-ngarm voices over for the senior dog, while best buddies, actors Charnarong "Tik Klinsee" Khantheethao and Kiat "Sumo Kik" Kijjarern play pals Keng and Piak. Makham is voiced over by teen idol Pitchaya "Golf" Nitipaisalkul.

"Lung Kafae is like an old man with lots of experience and Thep's voice is perfect for it. When I thought about the buddies, Kik and Tik immediately came to mind: They are close friends and business partners," says Pantham.

The film has taken three years to complete and Pantham hopes that moviegoers will not only be entertained but also learn that stray dogs have a place in society.

Pantham, who is also managing director of Tifa, says "Ma Mha" may be the studio's last film.

"Although the company is owned by GMM, we act independently in finding producers to fund our projects. That is getting more and more difficult, as film companies today are only interested in investing Bt100 million or more in blockbusters, or putting in less than Bt10 millions for small projects. We don't meet either criteria," he explains.

"My only options may be to withdraw from GMM and try to run Tifa as an independent entity."