The Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2022 came to a brilliant conclusion as the Ministry of Cultured handed out awards for Southeast Asian films and film projects

The Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2022 came to a brilliant conclusion as the Ministry of Cultured handed out awards for Southeast Asian films and film projects, while programs of cultural exchange and promotion of Thailand as regional film hub were hailed as success.

December 13, 2021, at Paragon Cineplex, Bangkok: Culture Minister Itthiphol Khunpluem chaired the closing ceremony of Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2022 and gave out awards to winner of ASEAN Short Film Competition and SEAPITCH: Southeast Asian Project Pitch. The event was also attended by members of National Film and Video Board, executives of Motion Pictures and Contents Association and the organizing committees of the festival, as well as representatives from ASEAN Film Promotion, celebrities and members of private and public sectors.

Culture Minister Itthiphol said that the ministry in partnership with the Motion Pictures and Contents Association organized the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2022 from December 8-13 at SF World Cinema and Paragon Cineplex. The festival, he said, offered an opportunity to Thai audience to appreciate 37 films from Southeast Asian nations, plus from China, South Korea, India and Japan, as well as to film industry professionals in the region to network and join forces to revive the film industry. The festival also drives Thailand’s film industry according to Phase 3 of National Film Promotion Strategy (2017-2021), which aims at using culture to promote international relations and economic growth, and also to push Bangkok as a center for filmmaking activities.

The festival screened 37 films from ASEAN nations as well as from China, South Korea, Japan and India. Every film was shown with Thai and English subtitles and opened to the public free of charge. The films were shown in 3 programs.

First, Showcase: ASEAN Plus features 12 feature films from Southeast Asia and from China, Japan, South Korea and India. Each title was shown twice, and the program included some highlights such as Belle by Mamoru Hosada; Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Edwin from Indoneisa; Yuni by Kamila Andani from Indonesia; The Edge of Daybreak by Taiki Sakpisit from Thailand; White Building by Kavich Neang from Cambodia; In Front of Your Face by Hong Sang-soo from South Korea; A Night of Knowing Nothing by Payal Kapadia from India.

The minister also mentioned the importance of the seminar “Is ASEAN content ready to take on the world?”, held at TK Park, in which film experts from several countries brainstormed and offered their analysis of the current situation in regional filmmaking, the threat of the pandemic, and the efforts to promote Southeast Asian contents to the world. Another main seminar during the festival was “Going Virtual”, organized in partnership with ACBS (Asia Content Business Summit), in which film experts discussed the latest trends in various counties, such as Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Special Administrative Territory of Hong Kong, while also reporting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).

On December 12, the festival also had a special screening of the Mongolian film The Horsehead Fiddle, organized with the support of the Embassy of Mongolia in Thailand. After the screening H.E. Turmur Amarsanaa, the Mongolian ambassador to Thailand, also joined a discussion on the state of Mongolian cinema and the country’s potential as filming location.

At the closing ceremony, the awards in several categories were announced. The winner of Best ASEAN Short Film award is How to Die Young in Manila from the Philippines (receiving USD 2,000 cash prize); the winner of Jury Prize is Lemongrass Girl from Thailand (USD 1,000 cash prize); and the winner of Special Mention award is February 1st from Myanmar and France (USD 500 cash prize).

To push Southeast Asian filmmakers to the international level, the festival also awarded 3 movie projects with outstanding potentials. The SEAPITCH Award is Tremble Like a Flower by Thai director Pathompol Tetpratheep (receiving USD5,000 cash prize); the Runner-Up Prize is The River Knows Our Name by Vietnamese director Mai Huyen Chi (USD3,000 cash prize); the Special Mention Prize is The Beer Girl in Yangon by Myanmar direcgtor Sein Lyan (USD2,000 cash prize).

The Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2022 is a well-attended and comprehensive event that promotes regional film and talents, as well as strengthens international relations between Thailand and ASEAN nations, and also China, India, South Korea and Japan.