Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF) returned this year with a lineup of more than 150 Asian and international titles.
Taking place from September 13-27, Thailand’s Oscar entry 9 Temples To Heaven by Sompot Chidgasornpongse and Locarno competitor The House On The Moon by Singapore’s Nelson Yeo were the opening and closing film respectively.
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi graced the grand opening ceremony at Iconsiam, which serves as the festival hub. Thai and international guests arrived on the red carpet along the Chao Phraya River in style. They included Thai stars Ananda Everingham and Bhumibhat Thavornsiri who served as festival ambassadors, Bad Genius director Baz Poonpiriya, A Useful Ghost director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, and president of the Thai Film Directors Association (TFDA) Chookiat Sakveerakul.
Foreign guests included TIFFCOM CEO Yasuhi Shiina from Japan, Malaysian star Bront Palarae, Filipino director Brillante Mendoza and Hong Kong actress-producer Josie Ho.
The Talad Nang film market also returned but in a different format. Through a business matching system, international buyers were given the rare opportunity to be situated at their own dedicated stations for Thai sellers to come and meet them. This novel arrangement was met with enthusiastic response from both parties.
Almost 30 international buyers were invited to attend the two-day market (September 22-23) held at Nex Hall, Siam Paragon, including Hong Kong’s Golden Scene; Taiwan’s Vie Vision Pictures; Singapore’s Lighthouse Film and Purple Plan; China’s Hishow, Light Films and MelodyStar Film; and Vietnam’s Runup Vietnam and Skyline Media.
A string of Thai sales and production companies showed their presence, including GDH 559, Thirteen Studio, De Warrenne Pictures, M Distribution, Sahamongkolfilm International, Five Star Production, Mono Streaming and True CJ Creations.
The awards and closing ceremony, also held at Iconsiam, saw the Bangkok Grand Prix for best film go to Abinash Bikram Shah’s feature debut Elephants In The Fog, Nepal’s entry for the Oscar, and the best director prize to Marine Atlan for France-Italy coming-of-age drama La Gradiva.
Stealing the show was Chinese star Fan Bingbing, who was on hand to receive the gender-neutral best leading performance prize for her role in Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun’s Mother Bhumi, for which she previously won best actress at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards last November.
Singapore director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla took to the stage to receive two awards for her feature debut Ah Girl: best Asean film, a new prize for a Southeast Asian film from any section, and the New Voices award for emerging filmmakers.
BKKIFF is supported by the Department of Cultural Promotion (DCP) of the Ministry of Culture.
Website: https://bkkiff.co/
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