There are now 13 films, a TV series and animated games in the works about the dramatic rescue of the 12 Mu Pa Academy football players and their assistant coach from Tham Luang cave, the government announced this week.

Officials were no doubt relieved they had acted promptly in response to global media interest in the story, approving a Culture Ministry proposal to establish a committee to handle requests for permission.

Hollywood studios and Thai firms were swift to put forward ideas for feature and documentary films about the cave rescue and games makers have joined in the frenzy.

A Thai Navy SEALs photo from inside the cave, shows the rescuers hoisting one of the football team members to safety from the Tham Luang cave. The drama of life-saving rescue has attracted  film and TV companies.

Officials of the Culture, Commerce and Tourism and Sport ministries will be among members of the committee, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said.

“We are pleased to support both Thai and foreign film productions about Mu Pa as long as they obey Thai laws,” he said. “The committees will look at the proposed projects’ accuracy and will safeguard the intellectual property rights of the boys and coach, the rescuers and the agencies involved, and protect the image of Thailand. It will also be concerned about the impact on film locations.”

The panel would also help the families of the Mu Pa boys negotiate contracts with foreign film companies, with careful attention paid to intellectual property rights, Vira said. The government wants to be a co-producer on the Thai movie productions, added Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krua-ngam, who chairs the committee.

“The panel will also consider the possibility of the government financing a movie separately through its Thai Media Fund. The New Zealand government’s financing of the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Lord of the Rings’ could be a model for this. The Thai Media Fund had financed private feature and promotional films before.”

Vira did not specify any production studios interested in the Mu Pa story, but two were quick to pounce on the idea, with one scouting locations in Chiang Rai even before all of the footballers had been extracted from the cave.

Managing partner Michael Scott and co-producer Adam Smith of studio Pure Flix soon began conducting preliminary interviews with people around the cave site. The firm is known for faith-based movies like “Do You Believe?” and the “God’s Not Dead” series and has said this feature would focus on the inspirational aspects of the rescue operation.

A government panel is consider 13 different media productions about Mu Pa Academy football team. Photo/Nation

“Now You See Me 2” director Jon M Chu and Ivanhoe Pictures, meanwhile, have announced they were teaming up for a movie about the cave rescue. “There’s a beautiful story here about human beings saving other human beings,” Chu said on Twitter. His touted “tribute to decadence” titled “Crazy Rich Asians” is due for release next month.

The Discovery Channel’s hour-long documentary “Operation Thai Rescue” aired in the United States and Thailand last week. De Warrenne Productions, headed by Thai-Irish producer-director Tom Waller, who made the award-winning films “Mindfulness and Murder” and “The Last Executioner”, is developing a script centred on the cave drama’s Thai elements and unsung heroes.

Seeking to expand its reputation as a regional filmmaking hub and stay competitive with other Asian locales, Thailand last year initiated a production-rebate scheme. Projects that qualify get 15 per cent of their investment back, rising to 20 per cent if they promote national interests and offer a positive image of the country.

Not everyone thought the government was being cleverly proactive in setting up a committee to handle productions about the rescue. There were sceptical comments online and among film critics.

Some pointed out that a major movie about a more or less similar true story – director Patricia Riggen’s “The 33”, about the Chilean miners trapped underground for two months – failed to earn back the $26 million (Bt870 million) it cost to make. And this despite it starring big names Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Juliette Binoche.

There was a far better outcome, though, for “The Impossible”, a 2012 movie about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Filmed in Phuket by JA Bayona, it won positive reviews from critics and an Oscar nomination for Naomi Watts, who starred alongside Ewan McGregor.

Having successfully opened this month’s fourth Bangkok Asean Film Festival, “Eullenia” – a love letter to Thailand – is having its overseas premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.

Next up is wide release in Thailand and then screenings in Europe and North America.

British director Paul Spurrier’s picture presents a dark psychological exploration of personal tragedy, desperation, loneliness, self-destruction and capitalism on acid.

He’s achieved a milestone in Thai cinema – an independent movie set in Bangkok that juxtaposes East with the West and features enthralling Italian Renaissance music by Thailand’s preeminent composer, Somtow Sucharitkul.

Authenticity, rawness and passion permeate this genre-defying film, which illuminates the mind of a haunted man who finds pleasure in agony.

Ferociously portrayed by Scottish actor Alec Newman (“Dune”, 2000), Marcus Hammond is a ruthless billionaire who runs his business on simple principles while moonlighting as a mysterious sadist.

With the help of his sycophantic servant Boo, played with cool reserve by Vithaya Pansringarm (“Only God Forgives”), Hammond embarks on nocturnal cruises around Bangkok in a black van in search of naive Thai women to whom he makes a startling offer.

He yearns for the macabre allure of pain and the release that can be obtained only from the presence of death.

The protagonist in “Eullenia” was inspired by the lurid life of the late Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, whose idiosyncratic music figures prominently in the movie, most memorably during a terrifying dinner scene.

Maestro Somtow and the Calliope Chamber Choir did a magnificent job breathing new life into Gesualdo’s notoriously challenging madrigals. That they are the first musicians in Thailand to have recorded these offbeat and obscure works adds to Somtow’s accomplishment.

Spurrier wrote the original score. His music blends seamlessly into the seedy bowels of Bangkok. Sombre strings play a haunting theme during breathtaking nighttime aerial and street shots.

Thanks to the score and immersive cinematography, the City of Angels becomes a crucial character. Spurrier shows the real Bangkok that escapes most travellers. The viewers who inhabit, have visited or plan a trip to Thailand’s vibrant metropolis will find “Eullenia” doubly intriguing.

Established Hollywood producers David Cluck (“The Artist”), Jeffrey Calman (Warner Home Video), Robert Neft (“Apt Pupil”), and Brian Askew (“Fermosa Betrayed”) gave the director creative freedom, including casting untested talent.

“Eullenia” introduces three budding Thai actresses who dazzle with their innocence. Spurrier is gifted at handling subtle moments and eliciting raw life from his players. The Bangkok-based director worked again with an entirely Thai crew, following his previous features, “P” (2005) and “The Forest” (2016), which dealt with the supernatural.

If for no other reason, see “Eullenia” to be moved by Apicha Suyanandana, who brings rare fragility to her role. She is Nam, a pure soul who makes an impossible choice. When she smiles, we forget we are watching a movie. When she cries, she reaches our humanity.

Aomkham Natchanok is another discovery. She gives Lek both vulnerability and a fierce, independent spirit.

Manatsanun Phanlerdwongsakul shines in a brief cameo role as the journalist Kirstie.

Spurrier, who is fluent in Thai, has Thai characters speak mostly in their native language. Hollywood’s linguistic cop-outs have no place in “Eullenia”, and little quirks in the script reflect each character’s identity.

In an acting masterclass near the end, Alec Newman delivers a shattering Machiavellian monologue that unveils Hammond’s philosophy.

On one level, the film works as an allegory: it exposes the decadence of the West and challenges its arrogant claim to cultural supremacy. Westerners who come to Thailand thinking they are superior to Thais and can buy their Land of Smiles receive a rude awakening.

The final scene retains mystery. There is much potential for the story to continue. Despite its dark tone, “Eullenia” is a love letter to Thailand aimed at international audiences. Dates for further Thai screenings have yet to be announced.

The film has been selected by casting directors Soifa Saenkhamkon and Tippawan Narintorn who will join the talk after the screening.

Directed by Celine Sciamma, “Girlhood” is a comingofage film that focuses on the life of a black allgirl gang living in the housing projects on the outskirts of Paris who try to confront the harsh realities of modern life while struggling to get out of the big city’s poverty trap.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film and the main reason why it was chosen for Cinema Diverse is the largely nonprofessional cast, most of whom actually live in the suburb of Paris – indeed, Karidja Toure, who plays the lead role, was discovered by Sciamma at a market.

Their lack of experience was challenging for the film director. “The have their own limits. But that’s part of the deal. And you don’t want to steal anything from them. But that’s where the miseenscene has to step up – it’s my problem, not theirs. They had several big scenes of improv, but they were really receptive, really committed and really wanted to work,” she says.

For those who are familiar with independent Thai cinema, the names Soifa Saenkhamkon and Tippawan Narintorn will already be well known.

Soifa was born in 1985. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts (Textile, Costume, Garment and Fashion Design), Thammasat University. She worked as a textile designer and was involved in several local and international art exhibitions before working as  casting director for Thai independent films.

Tippawan was born in 1986 and graduated from the Faculty of Mass Communication, Chiang Mai University. Tippawan started her film career as an assistant director before making name in the industry by working alongside Soifa.

Entry fee is Bt60 with a free programme. Tickets are available at 3pm. The screening starts at 5 and the film is in French with English and Thai subtitles.

For more information, please visit http://www.bacc.or.th

FIFTEEN MONTHS after suffering a minor setback when its first film “Oversize Talai Pung” (“Oversize Cops”) left cinemas with a meagre Bt15 million in takings, T Moment film company led by industry veteran Visute Poolvoralaks is back, this time with two movies in different genres.

Opening on August 1 is “App War”, a romantic comedy set in the world of start-ups and starring young actors from TV commercials, music videos and movies led by Patchanan “Orn BNK48” Jiajirachote. That’s followed on September 27, by the thriller “The Pool Narok 6 Mate” (“The Pool”) directed by Ping Lumprapleng, which sees actor Teeradej Wongpuapan trapped in an empty swimming pool with a mysterious monster.

“I haven’t given up yet. In fact, for the past year I’ve busy working on projects,” says Visute, dismissing with a wave of his hand suggestions that he was no longer making films after “Oversize” tanked. However, he’s the first to admit that things could have been better in the period following his departure from GTH to set up his own company T Moment.

T Moment is his third sortie in the filmmaking business. More than 30 years ago, he set up Tai Entertainment, which then merged with GMM Grammy and Hub Ho Hin Company to become the most successful film studio GTH before ending its run slightly more than two years ago. And despite his vast experience, he is well aware that turning T Moment into a success will be no easy task, saying that he nonetheless intends to devote 10 years to this venture before calling it quits.

“We weren’t ready to make a new movie after GTH wrapped,” he says, adding that it was necessary to put out a debut film, hence “Oversize”.

“If you ask how I feel about the flop, I have to say I feel nothing. It’s not the first time I’ve faced disappointment with a project over the last 30 years. But if you ask me about how I feel about the bad start to my new company, then the answer is not good at all and that affects my policy for working on new projects,” says the producer.

He spend time considering whether to start over by rebranding the company or move on with a second film before finally choosing the latter, “Even if I change the name and logo, people still know it’s my company,” he reasons.

But while the projects on which he was working in parallel with “Oversize” are on hold or cancelled, “App War” is different. It was developed even before “Oversize” but time was needed to find the right background for the story.

“In fact our original idea was to make a romantic comedy set in an office. But that’s been done so often that we wanted something different. A start-up seemed the obvious answer,” says the producer.

“App War” depicts two new start-ups going up against each other in creating applications for a competition. It’s the second film of director Yanyong Kuruaungkoul, who made his directorial debut with “2538 Alter Ma Jib” (“Back to the 90s”) in 2015, and brings together hot actors and actresses from TV commercials, models and a beauty blogger, among them Nat Kitcharit, Sirat “Too” Intarachote, Warisara Yu and also Orn of BNK48 fame.

The story centres on Bomb and June, opposing team leaders each designing a new app for a start-up competition. When they meet and discover that they share many similarities in life and ideas, they enjoy a hot night out. That inspires Bomb to create an application only to discover that a very similar app has been developed by June’s team.

“The Pool” meanwhile is an exciting collaboration between writer/director Ping and actor Teeradej, who plays an art designer for an advertising agency who becomes trapped at the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool with a vicious animal. Unable to climb up from the six-metre depths, he has to find a way to survive while |hiding and fighting with the |animal.

Ping had waited 10 years to find an investor for his movie and was delighted when Visute gave the greenlight after reading the plot.

“We have seen such plots in Hollywood movies like “The Shallows” or “127 Hours” but never in a Thai film. “The Pool” is a new idea for local audiences and we felt it had a good chance of success,” says Visute.

“We can’t do bombings or car explosions at the Hollywood level,” adds Ping. “What we can do is bring a character into a high-pressure situation and give the story a good rationale. This film is neither a ghost or horror story but the story of a man who is trapped in a life or death situation,” says the director.

“The Pool” finished shooting since August last year and the last 12 months have been spent on visual effects and postproduction.

Both movies are an attempt to bring something new to the Thai film industry, which is currently suffering a major downturn. In 2017, Thai films dropped below 12 per cent of market share and Visute predicts this year will be even worse.

GDH is currently the only studio with strong branding and film buffs accept its products. Other studios including T Moment are struggling.

“GDH is successful in maintaining its income. What I learnt from GTH’s success is that you have to create the brand first, then strengthen it by constantly creating good movies. Only then will people will accept your brand,” he says.

“Right now, the audience only accepts the GDH brand and ignores all others. We are like a boxer working on earning a higher ranking so we can get into the ring and face the champion Manny Pacquiao. Our mission is to keep working so that at least we have a chance to fight. Winning or losing does not matter because it’s better than doing nothing and accepting defeat,” says the veteran producer.

“The key is to work constantly, whether that’s two years or 10 years until audience accepts the brand and is confident that it won’t let them down when you see its film,” he explains.

From now on, he adds, T Moment will release at least two movies a year. He aims to let the movies speak to the audience and convince them that a T Moment flick is worth the ticket money.

“People keep asking me what I would like T Moment to be. My answer is that I don’t want my company to be stereotyped as making only a certain kind of movie. I hope that bringing fresh ideas to Thai movies is our strength. It may take a while but I am confident we will get there.”

“Resident Evil” director Paul W.S. Anderson is to helm “Origin,” which brings together an international roster of talent alongside Felton, the boy wizard’s conniving nemesis Draco Malfoy in all eight “Harry Potter” movies.

A teaser trailer for the 10-episode show made by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television screened at a panel at San Diego Comic-Con given by the creators and cast on Thursday.

The show follows a group of outsiders who find themselves abandoned on a ship bound for a distant land. They have to work together for survival but quickly realize one of them is far from who they claim to be.

Felton, who also appeared in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” will be joined in the show by fellow Potter alumnus Natalia Tena, as well as Sen Mitsuji, Nora Arnezeder, Nina Wadia, Adelayo Adedayo and Wil Coban.

The show will air on YouTube Premium, a subscription service that offers access to the company’s original content.

YouTube, which started in 2005 as a video-sharing network — still its main function — also announced a second season of the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller “Impulse.”

Since its debut on June 6, the first episode has generated around eight million views. Season two of the 10-episode, hour-long series will premiere on YouTube Premium in 2019.

Season one starred Maddie Hasson as Henrietta “Henry” Cole, a rebellious 16-year-old girl who always felt different from her peers and longed to escape her small town.

During a traumatic event, Henry discovers she has the ability to teleport and her newfound power makes her the focus of those who want to control her.

Meanwhile Netflix, the world’s leading video streaming service, announced its own new original show, separate from the festivities in San Diego.

“The One,” which will run for six one-hour episodes, is an adaptation of the Mexican show “Nino Santo,” moved to Brazil, created and written by Pedro Peirano and Mauricio Katz.

The story concerns three young doctors who are sent to a remote village in the Pantanal, an immense region of tropical wetland the size of Nebraska, to vaccinate residents against a new mutation of the Zika virus.

Their efforts to bring medical aid are refused, and the doctors find themselves trapped in an isolated community shrouded in secrets and devoted to a healer who forces them to confront the power of faith over science.

Los Angeles-based husband and wife authors Carolina Munhoz and Raphael Draccon will adapt the show for Netflix.

“Brazil is rich in mythologies and spiritual beliefs and we are very excited about this opportunity to show the world more of this side of our culture and even the singularities of the Pantanal region through Netflix,” he said in a statement.

An extensive line-up of stars descended on the city’s sprawling convention center to whet appetites for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and its sister show “Fear the Walking Dead.”

The departure of British actor Andrew Lincoln, who has appeared as Sheriff Rick Grimes in almost every episode since the 2010 pilot, has been an open secret since May, confirmed inadvertently by executive producer Robert Kirkman.

But the official announcement was reserved for Comic-Con, an annual pop culture celebration that attracts more than 100,000 devotees to southern California, many in elaborate costumes, every July.

“There seems to be an elephant in the room. This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes,” Lincoln, 44, told the packed 6,500-seat Hall H, prompting a dismayed murmur that spread throughout the arena.

“I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show. I promise not to cry. I’ve done enough crying on screen,” Lincoln promised.

Based on a comic book of the same name by a trio of writers including one of the show’s executive producers Robert Kirkman, the post-apocalyptic zombie-ridden vision of the United States portrayed in “The Walking Dead” has proved uniquely resonant.

Dwarfing competition like HBO’s “Game of Thrones” in the US, it has the highest total viewership in cable history and, crucially, the highest audience of 18-49s for any kind of US television between 2013 and 2017.

‘Tensions rising’

The show centers on Lincoln’s Grimes, who wakes up in a hospital bed after getting shot, only to find he is alone in a world of vicious, flesh-eating reanimated corpses — known as “walkers” on the show.

“I got kind of choked up. It’s been nine years of coming here,” Lincoln told reporters after what will be his last sojourn to San Diego on behalf of “The Walking Dead.”

“I love this place and I love seeing the fans, and you’ve been such a vital part of this experience. But my relationship with Mr Grimes is far from over.”

It was unclear if he was talking about the current shoot for his final episodes, the possibility of appearing in one of the franchise’s numerous side projects, or something else entirely.

The ninth season, coming in October, takes place two years after the “All Out War” saga of the previous two, with story editor Angela Kang taking over from veteran showrunner Scott Gimple.

AMC dropped a trailer lasting almost six minutes at Comic-Con which shows Rick in more peaceful times as the leader of a sprawling settlement of survivors — but with tensions rising among his lieutenants.

“Fear the Walking Dead” kicked off the two-hour zombocalypse earlier with a presentation that critics agreed seemed to be drawing a line under all storylines past and presenting an almost entirely new show.

‘Fermentation process’

Aired since 2015, “FtWD” doesn’t get the history-making numbers of the main show — but is still one of the top-rated US cable series with just under two million viewers per episode.

“Fear” shocked its legion of ardent fans by presaging its parent show and killing its protagonist — Kim Dickens’s Madison Clark — just before the halfway break of season four.

The remaining cast — including established stars Colman Domingo, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Danay Garcia and newcomers Lennie James, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace and Jenna Elfman — spoke passionately about their work.

But it wasn’t long before the conversation with journalists descended into a conversation about whether zombies were able to “poop,” as well as snarling and shuffling.

The tone was lowered as Gimple mentioned in passing that James’s character Morgan, a crossover from the main show, is seen on the toilet in an upcoming episode and was asked if zombies “poop.”

“What did I say? It’s going to be the next thing people want to know! It’s exactly what I said!” grandstanded a faux-exasperated James.

“I think there’s a fermentation process that could result in projectiles,” offered a wry Gimple, clearly amused by the prospect.

Grace, most famous for ABC’s “Lost” and the “Taken” movies, was disdainful, however, explaining that she didn’t really go in for matters “scatalogical.”

She was game enough to suggest, though, that we might already be witnessing the effect of many a zombie call-of-nature in every episode.

“That’s why they walk so strangely,” she said.

Season four of “Fear The Walking Dead” resumes on August 12.

The movie is the latest project for British filmmaker Tom Hooper, who brought novel-turned-musical “Les Miserables” to the big screen and won an Oscar for directing “The King’s Speech.”

“Cats,” composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and featuring the classic musical ballad “Memory,” opened in London in 1981 and originally was staged on Broadway from 1982 to 2000, the fourth-longest run in history.

Based on poems by T.S. Eliot, “Cats” tells of a feline tribe — in human form on stage — called the Jellicles who decide who among them will make a fateful ascent into a new life.

Cinema industry news site Variety said that Hudson, who won an Oscar for the 2006 film musical “Dreamgirls,” would play Grizabella, a formerly glamorous cat who longs for acceptance.

Variety and several other film sites said that “Cats” would also star, in roles to be determined, Swift, actor turned late-night comedian James Corden and veteran British actor Ian McKellen.

Film studio Universal did not respond to a request for comment. No release date has been announced for the film.

The 28-year-old Swift, who is touring through the end of November, is one of her generation’s highest-grossing singers, but she has also branched out into supporting roles on film.

She played a chaste girlfriend in the 2010 romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” and, in a darker turn, appeared in the 2014 science-fiction film “The Giver.”

Swift is also known for her love of real-life cats. She frequently posts pictures on social media of her cats, Olivia and Meredith, who recently made a Hollywood debut in a scene in superhero film “Deadpool 2.”

The tweets, mainly from 2008 and 2011, joked about taboo topics such as rape and pedophilia.

Disney, which owns the franchise as the parent company of Marvel Studios, sent AFP a statement confirming the studio was parting ways with one of its biggest stars.

“The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him,” said Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

Gunn has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and has drawn the ire of conservative critics, who went back through his timeline and dug up the tweets.

Jack Posobiec of The Daily Caller and right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich are among those who unearthed the messages.

“Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo,” Gunn wrote on Twitter after the offensive tweets resurfaced late Thursday.

“As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.”

Gunn, who has deleted his account, described himself as a “very, very different” person than when he wrote the tweets, now focusing on love rather than anger.

“My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over,” he added.

Gunn directed both “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, and was planning to head to San Diego’s huge annual Comic-Con fan convention this week with a secret film project that he had teased on Instagram.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is due out in 2020.

The first half of 2018 has been a period of significant change for iflix as the service evolves away from the traditional Western SVOD model and introduces new unique culturally rich, engaging localised programming and features, targeting both mass market users and younger digital-savvy demographic groups, iflix said in a press statement.

The result has been unprecedented growth in customer engagement, with content consumption doubling in the last 5 months for an overall 22.84 billion minutes (43,500 years) streamed since launch, the statement added.

iflix Co-Founder and Group CEO, Mark Britt said, “2018 is already a transformational year for iflix. We continue to be passionately obsessed with what emerging markets customers need and want. The huge growth we’ve seen across the business is a testament to that commitment. We have one goal and that is to make iflix ubiquitous across emerging markets. To achieve this, we will continue to learn and innovate to build global culture and find new audiences for extraordinary world class content.”

“We owe a huge thank you to our customers and partners for sharing their time, feedback and patience, allowing us to continually learn and get better every day at delivering a service created just for them,” Britt added.

Now available to over one billion consumers throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa, iflix has established itself as the clear market leader in video streaming. Offering consumers a vast library of top Hollywood, regional, and local TV shows and movies, including many first run exclusives and award-winning programs, each subscription allows users to access the service on up to five devices, including phones, laptops, tablets, and television sets, for viewing wherever, whenever.

This year’s festival aimed to connect with international members of the film industry and give them an opportunity to have a hands-on experience of filming in Thailand with a Thai crew.

“We received great feedback from film students around the world, with 277 teams applying for the short film competition and 24 teams from England, Bulgaria, Portugal, Brazil, India, the Philippines and Singapore making it through to the final round. They were assigned to shoot their short films in 8 tourism locations around the country under the concept ‘Thai Style’ and give their own interpretation to nature, culture and the local identity. Fifteen Thai student teams, selected from 36 teams, were assigned to shoot under the concept “Sufficiency Economy” in any province in Thailand,” Anan Wongbenjarat, the department’s director general, explained.

“To promote the potential of Thailand and attract international production through the visions of new generation is a very effective strategy. Many foreign productions, including movies, TV programmes, music videos and documentaries, have been filmed in Thailand, which reflects our potential as a film destination with skilled crews and facilities. Therefore, Thailand International Film Destination Festival is very important to promote and present our success to the world as the most popular filming location in Asia,” he added.

Many distinguished international and Thai actors and directors also joined the award ceremony including Wes Chatham from “The Hunger Games”, Justin Diemen, producer of “Before the Fall” and Dimitri Logothetis, director and screenwriter of “Kickboxer 1” and Kickboxer2” plus Thai actors Vithaya Parnsringam and Pu Sahajak.

“Thailand on Screen”, which saw seven foreign movies shot in Thailand screened at Paragon Cineplex earlier this month, was also well received. The films – “Kickboxer: Vengeance”, “Largo Winch II”, “Lupin the 3rd”, “The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared”, “Kickboxer: Retaliation”, “Will You Be There?” and “All I See Is You” – have attracted tourists to visit the film locations.