Recession, political unrest hit Thai cinema

Recession and political unrest in Thailand have hurt the prospects of its film industry in the last few years, say Thai filmmakers attending the 40th IFFI here.

"Almost all films produced in Thailand have financial support from Korea, Japan and other countries. Recession has hurt the local industry. Conflicts in the government also cast a shadow on the return of investments," Thai filmmaker Nonzee Nimibutr told PTI.

"Besides, severe competition from Hollywood and lack of audiences for local cinema are also some of the causes of the downslide," he said.

Another filmmaker Yong Yoot Thongkengtoom does not feel that Hollywood had contributed to the downslide.

"It is just that we don't make films which the audiences will like. Hollywood movie 2012 is one of the top grossers in Thailand in just five days of its release," he said adding that Thai filmmakers have a long way to go before it achieves
the box office numbers like that of Hollywood movies.

Yong, whose film Best of Times is Thailand's entry to the Oscars this year, is impressed by the vibrancy of Indian cinema and how it still draws crowds to the theatres despite economic downslide and piracy.

"People's support is the only encouragement artistes can get during a downturn", he said.  Nonzee said about 40-50 films  are released annually in Thailand out of which less than five do well at the box office.

Producer Benjarat Vittayathep says that she is focusing on small budget movies with universal themes and is confident that the downslide will be reversed.

Drugs, prostitution and child abuse are some of the social issues Thai films explore in their scripts, they said.

Thai film Samchuk directed by Thanit Jitnukul being screened at the IFFI also deals with drug abuse.

It is about seven high school children in a small district come to the crossroads in their lives after falling victims to drug abuse. The society that is supposed to support them through hard times condemns them. Their only hope is a young teacher who dares to rise up and expose the failure of the system that slowly pushes innocent boys into dark abyss of despair, they said.