Showing 1 - 6 of 6
2023 ROUNDUP A vintage year for Thai cinema?
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/12/2023
» There were cheers of jubilation and gasps of disbelief as Thai cinema found itself awash with excitement in 2023. This has been the most successful year for mainstream Thai movies in a decade, a box-office triumph far exceeding all expectations. To many, the 2023 coup de theatre calls for celebration. "We are back!" cried optimistic pundits. But also: "Really? Is it just a one-time cinema party and can we keep the ball rolling?"
In search of big ideas
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 18/01/2018
» BangkokEdge Festival, billed as an "idea festival", returns to its old quarters of Bangkok this weekend. Spearheaded by MR Narisa Chakrabongse, the two-day event is a vibrant smorgasbord of literature, music, art, history and politics, anchored in the charming venues of Museum Siam, Chakrabongse Villas and Rajini School. There will be talks -- plenty of panels and discussions, on subjects ranging from "What Makes The Chao Phraya A World Monument?" to "The Power Of Slam Poetry", from "Populism, Religion and Neo-Nationalism In The 21st Century" to "Years Of Living Dangerously: A Woman's Take On War". The list of participants is starry, including writers, journalists, poets, historians and artists, Thai and international. Come evening, the lawn of Museum Siam will play host to film screenings (Pop Aye on Saturday and Citizen Dog on Sunday), as well as concerts by Hugo, Yena, Rasmee Isan Soul and more.
Journey into darkness
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 03/04/2017
» Aiman (Firdaus Rahman) is a young correctional officer recently transferred to a top Singaporean prison. At work he becomes fascinated by the menacing aura of a veteran hangman Rahim (Wan Hanafi Su). Soon the old man nearing his retirement begins to groom Aiman as his successor, but there's a deeper secret that binds the fate of the two men in a more disturbing way.
The women of Wanita
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 08/03/2017
» Nine years ago, Ropita Mahamat almost lost her son in a shooting incident, a dishearteningly familiar story in the Deep South. One night at 9pm in Pattani, her son was picking a relative from a pondok school when unidentified gunmen opened fire on him -- or, more likely, on someone else, though the bullets hit him. This circumstance, like so many similar ones in the region, was never clearly explained.
Rocker running for a cause
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 29/11/2016
» Live fast, die young. Rock stars and good health aren't historically compatible -- that's how popular belief goes. Not really, that's just a myth that sticks; just ask Artiwara Kongmalai. Known to millions as Toon, the frontman of Thailand's perennially stadium-packing rock group Bodyslam confesses to his twin passions: music (of course) and running. He can't even decide which comes out on top. "I'll take both. Can't I?" he implores.
Poster boy
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 19/02/2016
» At his home in Pak Chong, Piak Poster sits on a stool before a half-finished painting, the raised platform encircled by stacks of tools, drawers, paintbrushes and all imaginable colours. “I call this ‘my throne’,” he says with a laugh. “This is where I work, and I still work every day.”