- 7 weeks ago
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Well, I'm going to start with Ban Chong, because congratulations, Inherit is here at Toronto.
00:06Why was this a festival that you wanted this film to debut at, and what does it mean to have
00:11it here?
00:12Oh, of course, it's obvious. It's one of the best film festivals in the world.
00:17And I'm so excited that my film got the chance to premiere in this film festival.
00:22And the film is premiering in the film festival, but it's also at the market.
00:26This is the first year that TIFF has a market.
00:29What does it mean to be able to have this marketplace to kind of introduce the film
00:33to a global audience in that way and have that potential for global sales?
00:38I think it's a big opportunity for Thai horror for the international market.
00:44When you look at, and this is kind of a question for all of you,
00:49but when you look at where Thailand is as far as cinema and the global appetite for Thai cinema,
00:56what are you seeing in terms of the, I guess that's really a question,
01:02in terms of the global appetite for Thai cinema, what are you seeing right now?
01:06How would you describe it?
01:08Raymond, I'll start with you.
01:10So the way that I see Thai cinema nowadays in the world global, you know, kind of like a perspective,
01:15is that one of the things I really see are the young filmmakers from Thailand.
01:19Of course, you know, we recently had a really huge hit, which is, you know,
01:23how to make millions before grandma dies that was shortlisted for the Oscars.
01:26So that is a really great, you know, representation of Thailand
01:30because it's the first time that a Thai film was shortlisted for the Oscar, best international film.
01:34And of course, we had A Useful Ghost that also won the Cannes Grand Prix.
01:39And that film, of course, has done extremely well, has gone on to win many, many prizes around the world,
01:44was at TIFF also, and was Thailand's entry to the Oscars as well.
01:48So there's a lot of new energy among young filmmakers that is extremely exciting.
01:52And of course, you know, on the other side as well, you know,
01:54in terms of production of foreign films coming into Thailand,
01:58of course, with The White Lotus, of course, with The Creator, of course, with Jurassic Park Rebirth.
02:02But it's just like, I think both sides kind of go hand in hand to basically show people
02:06what Thailand actually has to offer, especially in terms of cinema.
02:10I want to talk about all of those projects in a minute.
02:13But Nithi, would you like to add?
02:16Yeah, as a government organization, we thought that the Thai film is one of the content
02:23to promote Thai story and maybe can draw the people to come to Thailand
02:30and follow the movie trail.
02:33And of course, Thailand has a lot of interesting angle, like culture, natural,
02:38and the way of life.
02:40And of course, many, many things.
02:42We thought that when the people come and they can create their own story
02:46and come back again and tell the people to follow themselves.
02:51How about for you?
02:52Well, our company does services generally.
02:56So we do a lot of projects where films from abroad come to film in Thailand.
03:01And what we think about Thai content is that we're betting on it so much so
03:05that we started a separate company just to do local language content
03:08and empower young Thai filmmakers.
03:10Our first three projects are young female filmmakers from Thailand,
03:14one with her second feature, one with her first feature.
03:16So it's something that we're making a bet on.
03:19And we think in five to ten years,
03:21you might be seeing the growth of the next big Asian content creator in Thailand.
03:26And that's our bet.
03:27Wong Chong, how do you see it in that idea that you've, of course, been,
03:30you know, you have the highest-grossing Thai film of all time.
03:35But how do you see that new generation coming up or just the general appetite?
03:40I think the most exciting things are that more and more genres can travel.
03:47In the past, it's like only horror and action film or art house film like Ibishat Pong.
03:53But right now, it's like it's more broad, broadened, right?
03:56Like Raymond said.
03:58So it's like people can see how rich the Thai culture can be
04:02and more location and rituals from Thailand that people of the world can see.
04:09What do you think is kind of behind, maybe,
04:14I don't know if the globalization of Thai film is the right word,
04:18but what do you think are some of the reasons why we are seeing such a pervasiveness,
04:25first of just people, of like the audience,
04:27and then we'll get into the production side in a second.
04:29So maybe Raymond, I'll start with you on that.
04:31Yeah, in terms of, you know, the more visibility that Thai cinema has had recently,
04:36of course, you know, it has to do with things such as Netflix as well.
04:39There was basically a show on Netflix called Hunger,
04:43which is extremely popular, basically like a Thai,
04:46basically a movie that was shown everywhere.
04:49I had friends from Germany who wrote to me and said,
04:51oh, I saw Hunger, it was really great.
04:53So through Netflix, but of course through festivals,
04:56such as, you know, obviously we have Apichat Pong Bera Sertakun,
04:58who has been an amazing ambassador of Thai culture,
05:01winning the Cannes Grand Prix,
05:02but also, you know, with Ban Zhong, who's on a more commercial side,
05:06his films have done extremely well all over Asia,
05:08and now even in the West, you know, with his film getting released in France,
05:12but also, of course, you know, in terms of, you know,
05:15the new generation winning prizes in Cannes, like A Useful Ghost.
05:19I think in general, there's just,
05:20I think young filmmakers are just able to tap in a lot more
05:23into a lot of the availability of different channels of, you know,
05:27just creations and, you know, getting their works out there.
05:29And I think that that's the great thing about, you know, yeah,
05:32like the resources that we have in terms of locations,
05:35in terms of amazing crew,
05:36that helps to basically get this forward
05:38and let people see what Thailand has to offer.
05:41Can I add a little bit?
05:43Maybe nowadays people, like, get more familiar with Thai content,
05:47not only the movie, of course, Thai artists,
05:50like Alisa or Nene become, like, popular around the world,
05:54so maybe people want to know more about Thailand.
05:59And, of course, many directors, many artists,
06:02they start in the world stage and become more,
06:05getting more famous.
06:08So Thai film and Thai story become more interesting.
06:11Right.
06:12And, of course, in terms of tourism,
06:14people around the world go to Thailand,
06:16and they're very impressed about Thai way of life,
06:19Thai people, and, of course, everything in Thailand,
06:22Thai food, something.
06:24Well, let's actually talk about Alisa for a second,
06:26because I know she starred in the last campaign as an ambassador.
06:30Obviously, The White Lotus Season 3
06:31definitely got people wanting to set-jet,
06:35as I've heard it called, the set-jetting phenomenon,
06:38to come see Thailand, to experience everything
06:41that they saw on HBO.
06:44It's clear just from the price changes from the hotels we've filmed at,
06:47how it was, like, maybe a 40% to 60% price increase
06:51on hotels that were the setting for White Lotus.
06:56But I also think, like, we have more to offer than just one show,
07:00given that the show was important.
07:01But we filmed a lot of really important works
07:03over the last six, seven years in Thailand
07:05that went to a global audience.
07:07The Creator, which was a Gareth Edwards production,
07:09was filmed in Thailand.
07:10We did the first extraction.
07:13We did the sympathizer.
07:14We've stood in for a lot of other countries.
07:16But Thailand for Thailand is also very important.
07:18And Lotus was, don't get me wrong, an instrumental part of that.
07:21And going forward, I think you see more projects
07:23coming to shoot Thailand for Thailand,
07:25and that's really exciting for all of us.
07:27Before we continue talking about White Lotus,
07:29I do want to talk about the idea of Thailand for Thailand.
07:31Because I think that is a really key, you know,
07:34that's why I use Lotus as an example.
07:36It's because that was a time where we're not, you know,
07:38we're not shooting Thailand to stand in for something else.
07:41We're really getting a chance to show the country.
07:46Why was that unique?
07:48And what do you think that that kind of added,
07:50having that experience?
07:51For Lotus, you mean?
07:52Yeah.
07:53Okay.
07:54I think it's unique because the director, Mike White,
07:57was really engrossed in Thai culture.
07:59And he really meant for Lotus Season 3
08:02to be a love letter from himself to Thailand.
08:05And you got all the elements that made what it is.
08:08You know, we had boxing, we had food,
08:10we had traditional dance,
08:12we had local stars cast alongside Hollywood stars.
08:15So that was really huge for the country.
08:16And then I think the next step in the evolution of that
08:19is to make sure that the Thai side of the deal,
08:22the creators and the artists in Thailand carry that forward
08:25by making Thai culture and Thai content appealing
08:29to an international audience
08:30so that the momentum doesn't stop.
08:33Nithi, for you, I mean, the influence of a show like that,
08:37how did you see that immediately kind of have that influence on tourism?
08:42Yeah.
08:42Yeah.
08:42As Kupan Trung also said about the, like,
08:45like, White Lotus, yeah,
08:47we become the popular series for the people around the world.
08:52And of course, after the movie, the series show,
08:56people getting more interest about Thailand,
08:59especially, like, we try to promote Thailand,
09:02like, value over volume.
09:04We try to get more quality tourists
09:07who spend more time in Thailand
09:09and get more, like, spending in Thailand.
09:12And of course, can show many perspectives of Thailand
09:17in terms of we have many Thai people,
09:20very friendly and warm hospitality.
09:23And of course, we talk about the connection of the people
09:26and Thai people, like, can be, like,
09:31communicate with the Thai people around the world
09:33and can be, like, have a relationship,
09:37not only in the movie, but in the real life.
09:40I know I mentioned the past campaign with Lalisa,
09:43but I do also want to talk about this new campaign,
09:45this From Scene to Scenic.
09:47Tell me a little bit about how you all developed
09:50or maybe even recognized,
09:53because of people wanting to come to Thailand
09:57because of The White Lotus and Jurassic Park
10:00and The Creator and all of these movies they saw,
10:04how did you recognize the opportunity
10:06to kind of show people the tourism element
10:10and develop this campaign?
10:12Right.
10:12As we mentioned before,
10:14the people's behavior,
10:16they're getting more like a set-set thing, right?
10:18We talk about follow the movie trail.
10:20So we try to, one thing,
10:24Thai movie to go global,
10:26to show the Thai story and Thai culture
10:29and maybe people know more about Thailand.
10:32And of course, we try to encourage
10:34all the movie around the world,
10:35all the global to Thailand, to shooting.
10:37And of course, we have a good film crew
10:40and all the facilities and, of course,
10:44the incentive.
10:45So I think if many will try to promote Thailand
10:50as a good film location for the movie around the world
10:54to shooting in Thailand,
10:55and of course maybe they can reflect
10:58or show perspective of Thailand.
11:02Yeah.
11:03How have you seen the number of productions increase?
11:06Because I was looking at a statistic
11:07that set up over 383 foreign productions
11:12came to Thailand just in this year alone.
11:16So how are you seeing also the increase in Hollywood
11:20and in all of these places
11:21wanting to come and film on location,
11:26both filming Thailand for Thailand
11:28and Thailand for other, you know,
11:33you know, Jurassic Park.
11:34I'm trying to think of where Jurassic Park
11:36is supposed to be set, and I watched the movie.
11:39But yes, that idea of both.
11:42So what are you seeing in terms of the numbers increasing?
11:46Right.
11:47Compared with last year,
11:48we got more around 5% or 10% increase
11:52for the number of the movie shooting in Thailand.
11:56And in terms of the revenue income,
11:59around 10% to around 6,000 million.
12:05But for last year,
12:07and I think there will be more in this year too.
12:11Right.
12:11So I believe Thailand become more popular for the,
12:16but not only the movie,
12:17also the like a movie or advertising
12:21and many, many kind of shooting in Thailand.
12:25And to that point, you know,
12:28when you are having these film,
12:31these major Hollywood movies come in,
12:33it's not just about,
12:36it's not just about the visibility of the location.
12:39It's also about working as the crew.
12:41Raymond, you kind of already brought this up.
12:42The idea of having a film shortlisted
12:45for the Academy Awards.
12:47It's not just the films.
12:48It's also the filmmakers.
12:49It's also the crew members.
12:50Tell me a little bit about the opportunities for crew
12:55to have just wider employment
12:58with this increased production.
13:01Yeah.
13:01In terms of the crew in Thailand,
13:03what I really am very impressed by,
13:04and I've shot films all over,
13:06not just in Asia,
13:07but also in Australia and things like that.
13:10Thai crew is just really top notch.
13:12You know,
13:12I really like respect
13:14and also really admire basically like their efficiency.
13:17Also, you know,
13:18in terms of like, you know,
13:19just being able to just get things done very quickly.
13:22They have amazing,
13:23for example, location managers,
13:25amazing cast directors.
13:26And of course, you know,
13:27one of the things that we have to mention is
13:29we're good at catering.
13:30The food during sets,
13:33I've been told many times,
13:34and I'm sure you agree, right?
13:35You know, we've been, you know,
13:37complimented many times
13:38by the fact that we always cater very well in Thailand
13:41because Thailand has very good food.
13:43And that is something that's extremely important to us
13:45because it's part of the culture as well.
13:47I mean, honestly,
13:49that's a selling point if there is any.
13:51And that's something that's so great
13:53about the guidebook
13:55that this campaign comes with
13:59is that it really shows everything.
14:01The post-production houses are there.
14:03It's a one-stop shop
14:04to find anything that you need in Thailand
14:06when you're going to film a production.
14:08Why was that something important, Nithi,
14:11to include, you know,
14:13just in the guide
14:14for people who want to come film there?
14:17Right.
14:18If we talk about the campaign
14:19from scenic to scene,
14:22it means like the location, right,
14:26in the movie.
14:28And scene to scenic,
14:29it means in the movie
14:31to the real place, right?
14:32We try to promote both sides
14:35in terms of audience.
14:38I hope when they see a movie,
14:41Thai movie or movie or shooting in Thailand,
14:44they will follow the movie to Thailand.
14:46And of course,
14:47also the scenic to scene,
14:50I try to encourage all the product producers
14:53to shooting in Thailand, too.
14:55And in this event,
14:58we try to prepare all the information
15:01about shooting in Thailand
15:02for the producer,
15:05like the big studio
15:07or the major
15:08or the independent studio.
15:11And of course,
15:12with our team,
15:15we try,
15:15we can confirm
15:17very good shooting in Thailand.
15:20One thing that I do want to talk about
15:22in relation to the locations in Thailand
15:24is also about the subject matters
15:25that are possible
15:26because one of the things
15:27that has been said about Thailand
15:29is like,
15:30I had a very famous
15:32Cannes competition director
15:33come to Thailand to visit.
15:34And the first thing he said was,
15:36I could shoot a sci-fi here.
15:37I never thought of Thailand
15:39as a place that we could shoot sci-fi.
15:40But when he came to Bangkok,
15:42he said,
15:42I could totally do that.
15:43Because obviously,
15:44we have a certain,
15:46you know,
15:46kind of mental image
15:47of what Thailand is,
15:48which is the lush green,
15:49you know,
15:50jungles and the beaches.
15:51But actually,
15:52in many ways,
15:53you know,
15:54Thailand has a lot more offer to that,
15:55you know,
15:55to offer than that
15:56in terms of the subject matters,
15:58in terms of the genres.
15:59And another thing
16:00that I was really surprised by
16:02was I also lead a project
16:05called Thai Pitch at Cannes,
16:06which is sponsored
16:07by the Ministry of Culture.
16:08We bring young filmmakers
16:10to pitch
16:10in the Cannes Film Festival.
16:12And one of the projects
16:13was actually about
16:14the contemporary arts world
16:15in Bangkok
16:17because it's a really growing
16:18facet of Thai culture,
16:20which is like
16:20these big museums,
16:22like Dib,
16:23that just open,
16:23and also all these galleries.
16:25That's another side of Thailand
16:26that we don't get to see
16:27a lot of in cinema.
16:28And I think that these elements
16:30make Thailand so much richer
16:31in terms of culture
16:32because it's not just
16:33about the beaches
16:34and the jungles.
16:34It's all about other aspects
16:36that really makes Thailand
16:38a fantastic place
16:39to explore new creative ideas
16:41and, of course,
16:41new genres
16:42and new topics
16:43and subject matters.
16:44I do want to talk
16:45about Thai Pitch really quick
16:46and that idea of,
16:47you know,
16:48very similar to what
16:48we were saying
16:49about the market here at TIFF
16:51and that opportunity
16:52to have that international reception
16:55somewhere like Cannes.
16:56What would some of the,
16:58maybe,
16:59I don't know,
17:00feedback is the right word,
17:01but some of the conversations
17:02that you were having
17:03in the kind of European marketplace
17:05about their interest
17:07in Thai content
17:09and Thai cinema?
17:10Yeah, I mean,
17:10in terms of interest
17:11in Thai content
17:12and cinema,
17:13especially in big festivals
17:14like Cannes,
17:15we've had extremely good attendance
17:17for Thai Pitch.
17:18You know,
17:18we all have over 20 meetings
17:19for each filmmaker,
17:20but the major comments
17:22are usually always that
17:23you have a lot of
17:24very talented filmmakers
17:25and they were very surprised
17:26with the subject matter,
17:27for example.
17:28One of them,
17:29you know,
17:29again,
17:29it takes place
17:30in the contemporary arts world.
17:32Another one,
17:33which is by a very famous
17:34Thai director,
17:35Ekachai Uekongtam,
17:36who made Beautiful Boxer,
17:38and he has a film
17:39that takes place
17:39during World War II
17:40about a nurse
17:41and basically during that time.
17:43There's just these rich stories
17:44that basically can show
17:45a lot of different parts
17:47and of course,
17:47some are more commercial
17:48in terms of like
17:49what they're trying to do
17:51and some are more art house.
17:52But the main thing
17:54is that everywhere
17:55around the world,
17:55people are looking
17:56for fresh new stories
17:57and fresh new talents.
17:58And if they can see that
18:00in Thailand,
18:00they're more willing
18:01to work with us.
18:02That's how Useful Ghost
18:03got all these co-production money.
18:05You know,
18:06it was a French,
18:06German co-production
18:07and a lot of the,
18:09there's a new film also
18:10just recently
18:11at the Venice Film Festival,
18:13The Burning Giants,
18:14which is also a French
18:15co-production.
18:17And his film,
18:18of course,
18:18the medium
18:19was a Korean co-production
18:20with major Korean director
18:21Na Hongjun.
18:22There's a lot
18:23of collaborative space
18:24and people are more
18:26and more willing
18:26to do that in Thailand.
18:27Whereas 20 years ago,
18:28they probably wouldn't,
18:29but because the people
18:30now really recognize
18:31the new talents
18:32and new storytelling
18:33that's happening
18:33in the country.
18:35Kat, I did want to,
18:36since we mentioned sci-fi,
18:38you already mentioned
18:39the creator
18:39and working with Gareth.
18:41How have you seen
18:42the different,
18:44or what was your experience
18:46of seeing Thailand
18:49used for a bunch
18:51of different genres
18:52and shot for,
18:54yeah,
18:55I mean,
18:56at this point,
18:57we've been,
18:58Thailand's stood in
18:59for obviously,
19:01we've stood in
19:01for Vietnam,
19:02for the Vietnam War,
19:03dating all the way
19:04back to Good Morning America
19:06to the modern day
19:07with the sympathizer.
19:08For the creator,
19:09we stood in
19:09for generic Asia,
19:11I would like to say,
19:13and Jurassic World,
19:15we've stood in
19:15for wherever the heck
19:17that's supposed to be set,
19:18and we've stood in
19:19for Star Wars
19:20and the Wookiee home planet.
19:21So we've been,
19:21we've been,
19:22we've been used
19:23for a lot of places.
19:24I'd just like to say,
19:25though,
19:25that like the great thing
19:26about Thailand
19:27and our business
19:28is that we're,
19:29we're,
19:30because the crew rates
19:31are so competitive
19:32and because the government
19:33support is so great,
19:34we're really competitive
19:36in almost every price category.
19:38So if you're shooting
19:39like a 500
19:40to 1.5 million indie,
19:42there's a service company
19:44that's going to take care of you.
19:45If you're shooting
19:45a 70 to 100 million dollar
19:49big feature,
19:49I mean,
19:50we've done that before.
19:51So at every single price point,
19:53there's something there
19:54for you to shoot
19:54and there's something there
19:55for you,
19:56there's a team there
19:57that's ready to support you.
19:58And I think,
19:59I think that's the,
19:59that's the most exciting part
20:00about Thailand
20:01in terms of,
20:02of production service
20:03and people coming
20:04into the country to shoot.
20:05I did have a thought
20:07when I,
20:07and maybe this is where
20:08I could have started,
20:10but what is the first time
20:12you remember seeing Thailand
20:15on,
20:15in cinema?
20:17This is,
20:19I'm not old enough
20:20to see it in cinema,
20:21but I saw it on the reissue.
20:22It was,
20:23um,
20:24Marlon Brando
20:25in The Ugly American
20:27and Thailand was Sarkhan
20:30and it was,
20:31it was the first time
20:32I ever saw my,
20:33like I watched it in college
20:34and it was the first time
20:34I ever saw my home country
20:35on a big screen
20:36with Marlon Brando
20:37of all people
20:38and I thought,
20:38wow,
20:39that's awesome
20:39and it really wanted me to be,
20:41I really wanted to be a part
20:42of the industry
20:43having seen that.
20:44How about that?
20:4480 days around the world.
20:47Yeah.
20:48Jackie Chan?
20:49No,
20:50we're older than that.
20:52Because,
20:53we start to show
20:55the Temple of Dawn
20:56or Wat Arun
20:57in the movie
20:58and that become
20:59the symbolic
21:00of my office.
21:02Already,
21:03already 66 years old.
21:06Gosh.
21:06The older 80,
21:07around the world
21:08in 80 days.
21:09Yeah.
21:18I'll give an example.
21:19It's not the first Thai film
21:20I've seen.
21:21I've seen a lot of Thai films
21:22before that.
21:22But actually,
21:23one of the most memorable,
21:24interestingly,
21:25is a film
21:25that was not supposed
21:27to take place in Thailand
21:28but was shot majority
21:29in Thailand
21:30and that was Wong Kar-wai's
21:31In the Mood for Love.
21:32Oh, yeah.
21:32And I remembered,
21:34I loved that film so much
21:35that when I went back
21:36to Bangkok the next time,
21:38I went to all
21:38the different locations
21:39and even today,
21:40there's still people
21:41going to all the locations
21:42that were shot
21:43in In the Mood for Love.
21:44So even though that film
21:45is supposed to represent Hong Kong,
21:47but that Hong Kong
21:48in the 60s
21:49is no longer there in Hong Kong.
21:50You just have big skyscrapers.
21:52And weirdly enough,
21:53it becomes a really great
21:54tourist spot in Thailand
21:56and in Bangkok.
21:57So sometimes,
21:57it's not a bad thing
21:58to stand in for other places
22:00because it actually
22:00has a life of its own
22:01after a while.
22:02Well, the reason why
22:04I asked that was that idea,
22:05you know,
22:05thinking about what you saw,
22:07how you saw your country first
22:09and now all of the various ways
22:12that you've seen it on film
22:13and television
22:14and in commercials since.
22:16I guess that is kind of
22:17my last question
22:18is kind of your hope
22:19for the future,
22:20not just of, you know,
22:22of Thai cinema
22:23in terms of Thai cinema
22:25created by people from Thailand,
22:28but also just from
22:30actually seeing the country
22:31and seeing the people
22:33and seeing the culture.
22:34What is your hope
22:36that, you know,
22:37in terms of, yeah,
22:39what is your hope
22:40for the future?
22:41For me,
22:42as a tourism promotion,
22:45maybe something in common
22:47between tourism
22:48and film industry.
22:50So we,
22:51it's a location, right?
22:54For the economic impact,
22:56of course,
22:57we spend a lot of money
22:59for the film
23:00shooting in Thailand
23:01and,
23:02of course,
23:03in terms of promote
23:04Thailand image,
23:06also good,
23:08right?
23:08Because we can show
23:09many angle of Thailand
23:10and the Thai people
23:12welcoming all the crew
23:14and quality crew frame.
23:17And,
23:17of course,
23:18in terms of location
23:19that we talk about,
23:21like some location
23:23in the film
23:25become tourism spot.
23:27After that,
23:28like,
23:28as Kun Banjong said,
23:30Yawarat or Samui
23:31for the White Lotus
23:33and the creator
23:34for the
23:35and Jurassic World
23:38for Groby,
23:39southern part of Thailand.
23:40So I hope
23:41that,
23:43because of quality
23:45of the film industry
23:47in Thailand
23:47and film location
23:49will bring more
23:52film shooting
23:53in Thailand.
23:54And,
23:54of course,
23:55quality team
23:56of Thai film
23:58will global
23:59more and more.
24:00I know that
24:01we were talking earlier
24:02about 13 lives,
24:03for example.
24:04You want also 13 lives
24:05to be shot in Thailand,
24:07not in Queensland.
24:08Yes.
24:09That was,
24:09I'm the co-producer
24:11of that film.
24:11That's more due
24:12to COVID restrictions.
24:13We were meant
24:14to shoot in Thailand.
24:15It's just that
24:15at that time
24:16it was very difficult
24:16to bring so many people
24:17into that time.
24:18So it was just
24:19a bad timing.
24:20As someone who did
24:20the other cave thing,
24:22we actually shot
24:22in Thailand.
24:25And now you fight.
24:28No, no, no, no.
24:29For me,
24:30actually,
24:31it relates to people.
24:32And people ask,
24:34like GDH,
24:35which is his studio,
24:36they've created
24:37three of the biggest
24:38Thai international hits.
24:40They had The Medium,
24:41they had Shudder,
24:42they had Bad Genius,
24:44and Pimak as well.
24:45And that has sort of been,
24:47every few years,
24:48they'll have one of those hits.
24:49Like every three or four years,
24:50they'll have one of these hits
24:51that goes global.
24:52And we want that
24:53to no longer be
24:53every few years,
24:54and no longer be
24:55only GDH,
24:56but everyone.
24:57We want Thai films
24:58to regularly hit
24:59on the world stage.
25:00And that is our aim,
25:02and that's what we want
25:03to foster and engender.
25:05Yeah, yeah,
25:05my hope is like,
25:06the most important thing
25:09is continuity.
25:10Yeah, right now,
25:11it's like more and more
25:12genre can travel,
25:13but it's like,
25:15in one year,
25:17only a few films
25:17can do that.
25:18I need more than that.
25:20and so people can see
25:22Thai films,
25:23Thai locations
25:24more than this.
25:26I completely agree.
25:28But also,
25:28on the other hand,
25:29I do really think that,
25:32for me,
25:33basically,
25:33what I really love
25:34about Thailand
25:35is just the richness
25:37of the place.
25:38Because,
25:38I mean,
25:39I have to admit,
25:40when I was younger,
25:40I really didn't have
25:41a lot of interest
25:42in really exploring Thailand.
25:43And now,
25:44when I'm older,
25:45it's the opposite.
25:46I took my friends
25:47from the UK
25:48to Udon Thani
25:49to basically go
25:50to the Lotus Lake,
25:51to go to basically
25:52like Poo Pah Bhat,
25:53which is now
25:53a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
25:55And they were so amazed.
25:56And I'm basically
25:58a one-man,
25:59you know,
25:59like a Thailand promotion
26:00because I bring
26:01a lot of people,
26:02because there's a lot
26:02of locations in Thailand
26:04that people don't know about.
26:05You know,
26:05I take people to like
26:06Lampang and things like that,
26:08you know,
26:08to see the temples
26:09on the mountains.
26:10There's just really
26:10amazing places.
26:11And to me,
26:13like,
26:13it's this exploration
26:14that really like
26:15makes me extremely
26:15happy because,
26:16you know,
26:17and it maybe started
26:17even during COVID
26:18because when during COVID
26:19you can't leave.
26:21And I really just started
26:22to really appreciate
26:23all of Thailand
26:24and especially like
26:24in places that
26:25never really explored.
26:27And I hope that
26:27basically these places
26:28can be shown in cinema
26:29and also like
26:30on big screen as well
26:31because to me,
26:32they're really spectacular places.
26:34And it just like,
26:35yeah,
26:36it just makes me
26:36really like understand
26:37how, you know,
26:39the richness
26:40of all the places
26:40that we go to,
26:41you know, in Thailand.
26:42So I'm just excited
26:43about that.
26:43Yeah.
26:44Genuinely.
26:44Yeah.
26:45I mean,
26:45that's the exciting part
26:46is the more places
26:47that you see in cinema,
26:49especially the lesser
26:50known locations,
26:51then yes,
26:52it will get other people
26:54just as excited
26:55and you won't have
26:55to be the one man
26:56in tourism.
26:57But to be fair,
26:58I have a lot of people
26:59coming to visit me
27:00because I live in Thailand.
27:02So sometimes I feel like
27:03maybe, you know,
27:05I need a break sometimes.
27:06But it's great
27:06because it means
27:07everybody's coming
27:08to Thailand
27:08because everybody
27:09wants to be there
27:10to see what is going on.
27:11It is an extremely
27:13hip, modern place
27:14nowadays.
27:15You know,
27:16Time Out says basically
27:17that it's a new Berlin
27:17and it is
27:18because I just keep
27:19on having people
27:20coming to visit,
27:20which is a good thing.
27:22Absolutely.
27:22We want as much tourism
27:24as we can get.
27:26Anything else
27:27that you all want
27:28people to know
27:29or that you
27:31really think
27:32is key
27:32about where
27:33Thai cinema is
27:34right now,
27:35where you want
27:36Thai cinema to go,
27:37anything else
27:38that you're thinking?
27:39Watch Pithong's film
27:40on Tuesday.
27:41Yes.
27:42Yeah.
27:43And for me,
27:44basically,
27:45just following
27:46the support
27:46of young filmmakers
27:47is really,
27:48really key.
27:50And it's something
27:51that we're trying to do.
27:53We still have
27:54a lot of ways to go
27:55because there's
27:55a lot of young filmmakers
27:56who are still
27:57kind of not able
27:58to cross that barrier
27:59in terms of
27:59becoming filmmakers.
28:03And finding funding.
28:04Yeah.
28:05Of course,
28:05it's everywhere.
28:06Finding funding
28:07and basically
28:08giving support
28:08is not always easy.
28:09But if we do
28:10our job right,
28:11the future
28:12will be very bright
28:13because there are
28:13a lot of talents
28:14in Thailand
28:14and we want to
28:15promote them
28:15and help them
28:16to show the country
28:17in the future.
28:19I know that you're
28:20literally showing
28:21your film
28:22in a couple of days.
28:24But are you
28:26someone who likes
28:27to already start
28:27thinking about
28:28the next film
28:29at this point?
28:30How do you look
28:31at what you're
28:32going to do next?
28:34Right now,
28:35I'm producing
28:35another film.
28:36And I'm going
28:38to go back
28:39to Bangkok
28:39to shoot it
28:40next month.
28:42So excited.
28:43Well, and to that point,
28:44why was it so important
28:45to, again,
28:46continue with
28:47the next project
28:48you will go back
28:49to Bangkok
28:49and shoot
28:50versus,
28:50I don't know,
28:51I mean,
28:51I don't know
28:52the story of the film
28:53so that may be key.
28:54But why is it
28:55still so important
28:56to continue
28:58production after production
28:59to be filming there?
29:01My next project
29:02that I'm producing
29:03is, like Raymond said,
29:05I want to support
29:06young filmmakers.
29:08Well, that's the future.
29:11Well, thank you
29:12all so much.
29:13I really appreciate it
29:14and congratulations.
29:15and congratulations.
29:16Congratulations.
29:19You