A new documentary film spotlights Baby Arabia, a band that's been entertaining Thai Muslims for decades
"Muslims just want to have fun." That's the message from filmmaker Kong Rithdee and his co-directors on the new documentary "Baby Arabia", which premiered last Wednesday at the 14th Thai Short Film and Video Festival at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
The 80-minute movie is a profile of Baby Arabia, a Bangkok band well known in Central Thailand's Muslim communities.
They play covers of classical Arab and Malay music, even though the members are Thai, speak neither language and understand none of the lyrics they're singing.
"We just try to get the emotion of it," says husky-voiced singer Jameelah Boonmalerd, adding that much care is taken with the sacred Arabic songs. And, she says, Arabic and Malay speakers who've heard the band say they're quite accurate.
That sense comes through the band's sprawling line-up: two female lead singers, the snaking accordion lines of founder Supachai "Geh" Luanwong and the jangling guitar of Umar Noraheem, as well as the keyboards, bass, several swaying singer-dancers (coached by the other female singer, Suriyah Madtorhead) and a battery of drums and percussion.
The result is a foot-tapping, infectious rhythm that gets listeners up and dancing.
Faith and music are closely interwoven, and the band members believe that what they're doing is good, even if some conservative Muslims insist music is a sin.
Baby Arabia has been around for more than 30 years, the sole survivors of a thriving Thai-Muslim music scene that had its peak in the 1980s and was spurred by Thais bringing back LPs of Arab music from Mecca.
The band plays 150 or so gigs a year - weddings, circumcisions, fairs and non-Muslim events too.
Aside from documenting concerts, the film also captures the band members in their daily lives.
For example, guitarist Umar runs a fishing pond, while Jameelah tutors students on reciting the Koran.
The film about them is the third documentary examining Islam in Thailand from the trio of Kong, Panu Aree and Kaweenipon "Salim" Ketprasit.
They did the 40-minute "In Between" in 2006, documenting the lives of four "moderate" Muslims in Bangkok. Next was 2008's "The Convert", about a young Bangkok woman's conversion to Islam for marriage.
Kong, who's better known as a movie critic and reporter for the Bangkok Post, had heard of Baby Arabia when he was growing up.
"Most Muslim people know about the band, but non-Muslims don't even know it exists, even though it's a Bangkok band," he says.
The trio's aim in making the documentary wasn't to push a viewpoint, as many documentary filmmakers do.
"The band is the main thing. The documentary is just a supplement to the legend, to the exuberance of the band. We aimed to capture that," says Kong.
Panu says if there is a goal of their films, it's to give a voice to moderate Muslims who generally aren't heard from.
"Nowadays if you hear about Islam, you only hear the extremes," he says.
"I think the moderate voice needs to be heard more," says Kong. "I think we fit the definition of moderate Muslims. We're not defending Islam, but we're not criticising it, either. We're just presenting what's happening in real life in Thailand.
"It doesn't have to be political - it can be fun."
Panu says they learned a lot while making "The Convert", for which they followed their subjects quite aimlessly.
"We couldn't control anything," says Panu, who works in distribution at Sahamongkol Film International.
"With 'Baby Arabia', we tried to be more professional," he explains, sparking laughter from Kong and Salim.
Nonetheless, they weren't prepared for the rigours of shooting live shows.
"It's extremely difficult," says Panu. "When you watch it on TV, you think it should be easy, but it's a different case when you're actually doing it."
"We didn't have any experience," Kong says. "We went to a lot of concerts, but we couldn't use the footage because the sound wasn't right. It took us a few months before we learned how to do it properly."
The band's spontaneity kept them guessing. The trick was to get acquainted with the songs, decide which ones should be in the movie and make sure the camerawork and editing complemented the rhythms and emotions.
Around 150 hours of footage was shot in high-definition video, says Salim, who handled the tough task of editing.
Financing came from two sources. The Culture Ministry granted Bt850,000 from its Thai Khem Kaeng (Strong Thailand) creative-economy fund, and the Pusan International Film Festival's Asian Cinema Fund and the Asian Network of Documentary awarded US$5,000 (Bt155,850).
"That's enough for two films, and that's our plan - save it for another film!" says Kong.
The bang for the bucks is evident in the clear hi-def cinematography, booming post-production sound mix and vivid colour grading.
But the moviemakers don't foresee making any profit on the project. "Because it's a very cultural thing," says Kong, "we want to do something for culture."
"Baby Arabia" will be screened at upcoming film festivals in Vancouver and Hawaii and then tour with the band, probably around December, after Ramadan and the monsoon season.
"Baby Arabia is a band you have to see live, outdoors," Panu says. "It's the only way to see them."