On June 20th 2019
Thailand with co-operation of ASEAN members organizes the 5th Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival to celebrate ASEAN Cultural Year
Watch 30 films from Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan, from July 3-8, 2019. Free admission. Reserve tickets online now.
June 20, 2019: Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat chaired a press conference announcing the upcoming 5th Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2019, along with Permanent Secretary for Culture Kitsayapong Siri, the ministry’s executives, the National Board of Film and Video Committee, executives of the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association, as well as other state agencies and private partners.
Mr. Vira stated that according to the agreement made at the 8th meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Arts and Culture on October 24, 2018, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the year 2019 was designated as ASEAN Culture Year. The aim is to promote the rich culture of ASEAN countries to be part of global consciousness under the concept ASEAN: Oneness to the World. The Thai Ministry of Culture has been active in promoting the co-operation among film industry professionals in ASEAN as well as expanding Southeast Asian films to the international market. The Ministry is pushing the Thai film and video industry to become the production and distribution center, or Hub of ASEAN, in accordance with the 3rd phase of the Strategic Development Plan for Film and Video Industry (2017-2021), which focuses on using the cultural dimension to promote international relations, generate new sources of income for the country, and establish Bangkok as a film center of Southeast Asia.
Mr. Vira added that the Thai government, through the Ministry of Culture and in co-operation with the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations and other agencies, would host the 5th Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2019 from July 3-8 at SF World Cinema, Central World, and Paragon Cineplex, Siam Paragon. The festival will screen films selected by embassies or film agencies of the 10 ASEAN member nations, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. This year the program is extended to include titles from China, Korea and Japan. Altogether the program features 30 films from 13 countries.
The festival will open on July 3 with the Indonesian drama Memories of My Body. The ASEAN Competition section will feature 10 films, such as A Land Imagined (Singapore), Last Night I Saw You Smiling (Cambodia), Funan(Cambodia) Hope Frozen (Thailand), Manta Ray (Thailand) and The Third Wife (Vietnam). Sixteen more films will be screened in the showcase section, and 3 classic films (Moon Over Malaya from Malaysia and Singapore; Genghis Khan from the Philippines and Ai Tui from Thailand) will complete the program.
A panel of jury will judge the 10 films in the competition. The winner of Best ASEAN Film will receive a trophy and $10,000; the Jury Prize winner will receive a trophy and $5,000; and the Special Mention winner will receive a trophy and $2,000. Meanwhile, the festival will give the Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran Indonesian director Garin Nugroho to honor his long and illustrious career as a leading Southeast Asian filmmaker.
The opening ceremony will take place on July 3 at Infinicity Hall, Paragon Cineplex, while the award ceremony and closing event will be on July 8 at Sky Lobby, SF World Cinema.
All films will be screened with Thai and English subtitles. Admission is free, though audiences are required to reserve tickets in advance at Facebook: BangkokAseanFilmFestival starting from July 1. Tickets must be picked up 30 minutes before show time.
Another highlight is a program called ROUNDTABLE, a talk and workshop series organized by Purin Pictures Foundation featuring sessions with leading filmmakers from the region. ROUNDTABLE will take place at the auditorium of Alliance Francaise Bangkok from July 4-7.
For more information call 02-643-9100 or visit the website https://www.facebook.com/BangkokAseanFilmFestival/