Art on the screen

After showing on the international festival circuit, two Thai features and a package of short films are returning home and will be shown to local audiences starting next week at SF Cinemas as part of the Director's Screen Project by indie production house Extra Virgin.

The opener next Thursday is Anocha Suwichakornpong's debut feature "Jao Nok Krajok" ("Mundane History"), winner of awards at this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam and at the Transilvania International Film Festival.

The metaphysical drama tells the story of Ake, a young man confined to his bed after an accident, who is being cared by Pun, a male nurse. It touches on the state of the cosmos and evolution as it makes allusions to Thai history and the nation's patriarchic social structure.

Organised by Extra Virgin and SF Cinemas in an aim to secure a place for art-house films on the local release schedule, the project was initiated in 2008 with the release of two films: Aditya Assarat's "Wonderful Town" and Pimpaka Towira's "The Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya klangnarong".

"Wonderful Town" went on to win multiple prizes at Thailand's film awards, including five Subhanahongsa Awards, the industry's top honours.

On hiatus last year, the Director's Screen Project is being relaunched after a move by SF Cinema and Bioscope magazine to screen this year's Cannes Palme d'Or winner, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives", just a few weeks after it won the award.

Much to everyone's surprise, movie buffs packed the nightly screenings, proving that there is an audience for art films.

Each film in the Director's Screen series will screen for a month.

After "Mundane History", Uruphong Raksasad's documentary "Sawan Banna" ("Agrarian Utopia") will take over. It explores the yearlong rice-farming cycle in northern Thailand against the backdrop of the country's economic, social and political changes. "Agrarian Utopia" received the Unesco Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Promotion and Preservation of Cultural Diversity at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, among many other prizes.

The Director's Screen closes with a package of short films by Aditya, this year's Silpathorn Award honouree for film. The films are "Phuket," "Boy Genius" and "The Sigh".

"Phuket" stars South Korean actress Lim Soo-Jung ("I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK") and veteran Thai actor Sorapong Chatree. and will be screened with his two other shorts in a programme that kicks off on September 30.

"Phuket" celebrates last year's Asean Summit on the island and was partially funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Phuket Tourism Business Association.

It tells the story of Korean actress Jin coming on holiday to Phuket only to have her peace disrupted by phone calls and fans. She finds an unexpected friend in Pong (Sorapong), the hotel limo driver in charge of taking her around the island. They share a common bond - a memory of old Phuket that no longer exists.

The 12-minute "Boy Genius" depicts a youngster attempting to make a film but his girlfriend keeps getting in the way, while the 25-minute "Sigh" tells the story of a soundman who discovers a mysterious woman's sigh on a tape he records in an abandoned building.

This year's Director's Screen project is supported by the Culture Ministry's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and a new technical partner, ACD Network, Singapore. More titles are set to be released in the next phases of the project in the coming year.

Moving pictures

- "Mundane History" runs from next Thursday until September 1.

- "Agrarian Utopia" runs from September 2 to 29.

- "Phuket", "Boy Genius" and "The Sigh" run from September 30 to October 27.

- Screenings are at SFX the Emporium, nightly at 7 with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2. 

- Tickets will be available at the cinema's box office.

- There will be special activities every Saturday throughout the project, with the directors holding Q&A sessions following the evening screening.