Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Looking for redemption
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 23/05/2019
» Young Ahmed believes he's a true Muslim, one of the few in his Muslim neighbourhood in Belgium. He refuses to shake hands with women, quotes verses from the Koran, berates his mother when she drinks, and condemns Jews and pretty much everyone else as infidels. Fellow Belgian-Muslims who do not subscribe to his imam's rigid interpretation of Islam are branded heretics unworthy of uttering the prophet's name. Young Ahmed, 13, is packed tight on the assembly line of Islamic radicalisation, fired up by a sense of self-righteousness so extreme and narrow that we wonder if it leaves room for something else in him, like love, forgiveness or humanity.
In the dark places
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 09/11/2018
» It rains incessantly in Zhang Yimou's Shadow, a monochromatic palace-intrigue-and-martial-arts high rhapsody set in a perpetual monsoon. Everything is grey, brown, black and white, a solemn palette befitting a solemn story interspersed with a blur of sword-fighting where warriors wield blades and umbrellas as if they were painting calligraphy.
The holy voice, the beautiful sound
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 01/03/2017
» In January, Hasan Samoh became the first Thai to win first place at a major Koran recital competition, taking place in the capital of Sudan where he outscored 85 other contestants from around the world. Living in Pattani, young Hasan became a celebrity in the predominantly Muslim South and, upon his return, was welcomed at Government House by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who pledged to support the 19-year-old in future competitions.
Singing along in poll wait purgatory
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 07/01/2017
» Splendid 2017 begins with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gifting us the year's first new song. Saphan, "bridge", his sappy ballad is called.
Magical, musical tour
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 27/03/2015
» In the documentary Y/Our Music, the rustic soundscape of the Northeast clashes with the hipster cool of Bangkok's indie music scene. But it's not a deadly, destructive clash, says co-director Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every, and instead is a sonic journey that shows the vast diversity of cultures and sensibilities, all driven by the positive energy of music.
Cannes, mon amour
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/01/2015
» Love and other nightmares filled the first half of the 65th Cannes Film Festival. There's post-Revolution love from Egypt, and the love that finds its final destiny, as love should, in death. There are the usual sidekicks of love, such as loneliness and the desire to be recognised, in the heart and in the flesh, in one's own territory and in others. It's both helpful and futile to try to find a common theme in the competition titles at the most frenzied and influential movie festival on Earth, but please allow me to indulge in the activity as a cure to the unusually wet weather that has rendered the mood rather gloomy in this war zone of film criticism.
Finding ways to make their market
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 20/06/2012
» Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit admits he's an impatient person.