A film showcase that starts|tomorrow shines the spotlight on Thailand's southern provinces
If you're a fan of Thai movies, leave plenty of time this weekend to head to Paragon Cineplex where you can catch some rare gems being screened in "Lae Nung…Long Tai", a mini festival organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Film Archive and the Thai Film Foundation with a focus on southern Thailand.
The programme is a mix of classic films from as far back as the 1960s to contemporary hits. They include the 1985 classic "Butterfly and Flowers" as well as last year's acclaimed indie romantic drama "Wonderful Town".
Tomorrow
>> 5pm, "Koh Sawad Hat Sawan" ("Paradise Island") - This 1969 musical romantic comedy starring superstars Sombat Methanee and Aranya Namwong was shot on Koh Samui long before the arrival of spa resorts and boutique hotels.
>> 8pm, "Peesua Lae Dokmai" ("Butterfly and Flowers") - Directed by Euthana Mukdasanit, this 1985 movie is considered a classic and reflects life in a peaceful Buddhist-Muslim society in a small border town.
Saturday
>> 12:15pm, "Choo" ("The Adulterer") - This 1972 drama by veteran director Piak Poster is about a hermit fisherman getting involved in a love triangle.
>> 3pm, "Yuwachon Taharn Pid Term Pai Rob" ("Boys Will Be Boys") - Based on a true story of Thai youngsters who were recruited by the military in World War II, Euthana Mukdasanit's 2000 drama looks at what happened when the Japanese army invaded Chumphon.
>> 5:30pm, "OK Baytong" -
Nonzee Nimibutr's 2003 drama tells the story of a young man who leaves the monkhood to take care of his Muslim niece in a town on the Malaysian border after her mother is killed in a terrorist bombing.
>> 8pm, "Anda Kab Fah Sai" ("Anda and Fah Sai") - Hot actor Ananda Everingham made his big-screen debut in this little-known 1997 flick.
Sunday
>> 12:15pm, "Talumpuk" - This 2002 disaster drama is based on when a destructive typhoon hit Talumpuk cape in Nakhon Si Thammarat in 1962.
>> 3pm. "Maha'lai Muang Rae" ("The Tin Mine") - Based on the memoirs of writer Archin Panjabhan, Jira Malikool's historical drama is about a young engineering student who leaves university to work in a tin mine in the Phuket jungle.
>> 5.30pm, "Kam Pipaksa Khong Mahasamut" ("Invisible Waves") - Pen-ek Ratanaruang's wryly comic thriller is about a Japanese chef (Tadanobu Asano) who flees from Macau to Phuket after committing a murder.
>> 8pm, "Wonderful Town" -
Aditya Assarat's award-winning romantic drama is set in isolated Takua Pha, Pang Nga, where scars of The tsunami still linger.
TICKETS TO PARADISE
>> Admission is free. Pick up your ticket either at the cinema or the Living Gallery in area two on Siam Paragon's third floor one hour before showtime.
>> Call the Thai Film Foundation at ( 080) 557 9709, (081) 697 5976, and (02) 800 2716.