For all you fans out there, here are a few fun facts about his adventure.

VEHICLES & SPACESHIPS

• Han’s speeder is dressed with items as diverse as a Morris Minor bonnet hinge, a set of baguette warmers and a re-fuelling nozzle from a Vickers VC10 aircraft.

• The 1960s-style chrome bezels and switchgear for the dashboard were purchased at a second-hand auto parts sale.

• The final design of the white stripes on Han’s speeder were the result of almost 100 variations of width, shape, length, colour and position!

• For stunt work, two of Han’s speeders were built on a custom-built chassis with a V8 engine, allowing them to reach more than 160 kph!

• During the shoot, more than 80 tyres were used on the two stunt-driving speeders due to wear and tear.

• Two of Moloch’s speeders were also built on a custom-built chassis with a V8 engine.

• There is a real air intake from a helicopter incorporated into the Moloch vehicle grille design.

• Three electric tugs were built, incorporating some triangular flood defence barriers for their front bodywork, which were obtained from a government surplus supplier.

• The tugs were christened Huey, Dewey and Louie, after the Disney cartoon ducks because they looked like ducks. Their names are written in Aurebesh on the fronts.

• A speeder that appears in the background in Corellia is very well travelled. It first appeared in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in Abu Dhabi; it was then revamped and travelled to Iceland for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, and was then revamped for a second time and shipped to the UK for this film.

• A Corellian factory vehicle and a mining vehicle in Kessel use a similar engine component to that which appears on Rey’s speeder in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

• During the kit-bashing process, as part of the skiff design, parts of Anakin’s podracer were used on the concept model. When this model was scaled-up, these design details were also scaled up and can be seen on the finished vehicle.

• The engine surrounds on the skiffs are actually made from the chrome wheel trims from a 1966 Singer Chamois car.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• The bridges in the frontier town of Fort Ypso were made “wobbly” using springs from a Land Rover.

• The exterior Millennium Falcon build weighs 31 tons and has to be moved around using two cranes.

• The interior Millennium Falcon set on C stage took three months to build. It is the largest interior Falcon set ever made on any Star Wars film due to the addition of new areas.

• On the Interior Millennium Falcon cockpit set, rear projection screens have been utilised so that the actors can see and react to pre-designed animations flying and entering hyperspace!

CREATURES

• More than500 designs for the creatures were produced in the design process for the film.

• Six Eyes is the most sophisticated mechanical head ever produced. It has 50 servos inside the head with on-board intelligence.

• This is the first film to feature Chewbacca in a lead role, so to achieve this level of on-screen action, production produced eight suits and 10 heads.

PROPS

• Nine copies of Beckett’s rifle were made. It is the rifle that ultimately becomes Han’s pistol.

• Beckett, played by Woody Harrelson, has two pistols in the film. There are 10 copies of each one for various purposes, such as soft ones for the fight scenes.

• Enfys Nest’s chainsaw pike had 14 copies of it made from a stunt version to ones that open. One version was even made with pyrotechnic capabilities.

• There are 25 pairs of the iconic gold dice that hang in the Millennium Falcon. Three of these were made by Tiffany.

• An R2 unit was turned into a BBQ fire pit for one of the scenes.

• Moloch’s staff features a carving of many faces; one of these faces has glasses on as the designer decided to carve his own face into the staff.

• In Dryden’s yacht there are display cabinets, and among all of the treasures in them are some that might be recognised from another film franchise: “Indiana Jones”. There are the Sankara Stones from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, the fertility idol from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and also the Holy Grail itself.

• More than 100 E-11 mudtrooper blasters were made for the battlefield scenes on Mimban.

VISUAL EFFECTS

• The visual effects crew spent approximately 44 hours of airtime in helicopters in the Dolomites and Fuerteventura scouting, shooting plates and photo-modelling.

• They also measured and mapped the interior and exterior of Fawley Power Station and most of the surrounding site with sophisticated laser scanning equipment (Lidar). Around 200 acres in total!

• The visual effects team digitally scanned over 500 characters, props and sets.

• The on-set data wrangling team captured photo reference (still images), witness camera data (small video cameras), and set survey data along with other reference information. These data totalled about 40TB, which were sent to Industrial Light & Magic, who use the data to assist in creating the visual effects shots for the movie.

Barack and Michelle Obama have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce films and series with Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service announced on Monday.

The former first couple have launched Higher Ground Productions to produce a variety of content for the video streamer, possibly including scripted series, documentaries and features.

“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” Obama, who served two terms in the White House from 2009, said in a statement.

“That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix. We hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

The Obamas already have a large social media presence – a combined 150 million followers on Twitter and Instagram – but the deal will see their influence boosted significantly by Netflix’s 125 million subscribers in 190 countries.

“Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly-recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

The statement didn’t discuss money, but their time in the White House has already begun to reap lucrative dividends for the Obamas, who negotiated book deals last year reportedly worth more than $60 million.

A much-awaited memoir by Michelle Obama is due to be released on November 13, publisher Penguin Random House said in February, describing her as “one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era.”

The Obamas met while he was an intern and she his adviser at a Chicago law firm, and they were soon married. She became his closest confidante during his political rise.

Michelle used her influence as one of the world’s most high-profile public figures to advocate for the rights of women and girls and campaigned for Americans to live healthier lives.

The Obamas are not planning to use Netflix to counter President Donald Trump or other conservatives, but will focus instead on “storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others,” the former first lady said.

The movie, the 11th installment in the X-Men series based on characters from Marvel Comics, netted $174.9 million abroad, the biggest foreign debut ever for an R-rated title.

The movie features Ryan Reynolds playing the foul-mouthed and irreverent title character as he forms an X-Force team to protect a young mutant from the evil Cable (Josh Brolin).

For an uber-bad guy, Brolin is having a very good week. He also plays world-destroying villain Thanos in Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” which led North American ticket sales before “Deadpool” bumped it off.

“Avengers” — the fourth highest-grossing film in history, starring Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth — took $29.5 million, pushing its global take past $1.8 billion.

Third in theaters was Paramount’s new rom-com “Book Club,” at $13.6 million. The film stars Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen as aging friends who decide to read the steamy “Fifty Shades of Grey” and find it expanding their literary and personal horizons.

In fourth was “Life of the Party,” a Warner Bros. comedy, at $7.6 million. Melissa McCarthy, who co-wrote the script with her husband, director Ben Falcone, plays a newly divorced mother who returns to the college she dropped out of, where her daughter now studies.

And in fifth was Universal thriller “Breaking In,” at $6.8 million. Online reviews collator Rotten Tomatoes, summing up the critical reaction, described the film as a “disposable action thriller.”

But critics praised Gabrielle Union’s performance as a mother trying to protect her children from hostage-takers.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Show Dogs” ($6 million)

“Overboard” ($4.6 million)

“A Quiet Place” ($3.9 million)

“Rampage” ($1.6 million)

“I Feel Pretty” ($1.3 million)

 Eleven silent films from around the world come to Bangkok this week as the popular Silent Film Festival returns to Scala Theatre to kick off its fifth edition.

Running from Thursday through May 31, the cinematic menu features such major silent movie stars as Buster Keaton and China’s Ruang Lingyu.

Organised by the Film Archive with the collaboration of Goethe-Institut Thailand, the festival opens Thursday night with the French film “The Passion of Joan of Arc” accompanied by Maud Nelissen on piano.

Directed by Dane Carl Theodor Dreye, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is considered one of the greatest films of all time for its groundbreaking techniques and direction, as well as the superb performance by Renee Falconetti.

A re-telling of the story of Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake on May 30 and declared a martyr in 1456 by Pope Callixtus III, the film was edited into various versions. However, the print being screened here is Dreyer’s original 1928 version that was finally found in 1981, and digitally restored in 2015.

Following the opening, the festival moves to Lido Multiplex.

Other films hail from German, Mexico, France, the Netherlands, Russia and China. The German expressionist movie “Journey into the Night” by FW Murnao is one of his earliest surviving films. The filmmaker is recognised as a pioneer for his innovative cinematography and editing techniques, including the incorporation of stage play conventions and the use of insert shots to heighten dramatic tension. The film tells the story of Eigil, a middle-aged doctor who leaves his fiancee for Lily, a charming cabaret performer. The new couple sets up a love nest in a countryside villa, where their love is tested by the appearance of a mysterious blind painter.

“The Devious Path”

“The Devious Path” is a family drama directed by Weimar-era master director, GW Pabst and is notable for having created a memorable female character with the performance of Brigitte Helm. “The Devious Path” tells the story of a woman whose affluent lawyer husband neglects her in favour of work. She soon embarks on a new romance with another man. Their marriage winds up in court when the husband submits a claim for divorce.

Mexican film “The Grey Automobile” was originally produced as a 12-chapter serial in 1919, but was later edited into a series of different versions. The most common of these versions is a two-hour cut. Here again, viewers will be lucky enough to see the longer version that runs more than 200 minutes, and is by far closest to the original in terms of content and film tinting. Restored by the Cineteca Nacional in Mexico, it tells the story of a police inspector who tries to follow a scandalous criminal gang and is based on actual events involving a gang that terrorised Mexico City in 1915. The producer brought in the actual detective who apprehended the gang to play himself and real gang members also appeared in some scenes.

“Dutch Types”

“Dutch Types” is the film from France and is a prime example of an early colour film hand-painting technique known as colour stencilling. This short documentary takes the viewer to Zeeland, a province made up of a series of small islands, to catch a glimpse of local life in the 1910s, including people in traditional costume, the architecture, canals, harbours, and iconic Dutch windmills. Meanwhile “The Secret of Delft” (“Het geheim van Delft”) from The Netherlands shows striking tinting techniques.

“The House on Trubnaya” (“Dom na Trubnoy”) is praised as one of the greatest Soviet silent films of all time for its outstanding cinematic and editing techniques. “Trubnaya” is a satirical comedy that subtly reflects social issues in Soviet-era through the story of a young woman, Parasha, who comes to Moscow to try her luck. She works as a maid to make ends meet but is ruthlessly exploited by her employers. Soon after, she is invited to join the worker’s union, and is later unexpectedly elected to the Moscow city council.

“The Goddess” is hailed as the greatest Chinese silent film ever made. The film stars Ruan Lingyu, the actress often referred to as China’s Greta Garbo and tells the story of a woman who becomes a prostitute in order to pay her son’s tuition fees after her husband commits suicide.

Three American silent films will showcase the world’s great masters of that era including “Foolish Wives”, which was proclaimed the “first million-dollar movie” to come out of Hollywood. This masterpiece was directed by and starred Erich von Stroheim.

Also showing is “45 Minutes from Hollywood”, the first movie in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appeared together under the direction of Hal Roach, a renowned producer of the silent film era. Even though they were not the main characters and did not share any scenes in this film, they were paired up by Roach the following year, and soon rose to fame together as the world’s greatest comedy double-act.

“Sherlock Jr”

“Sherlock Jr” is a 1924 film directed by and starring Buster Keaton, otherwise known by his trademark nickname, “The Great Stone Face”. It focuses on a movie projectionist who daydreams of being a great detective. One day, he falls asleep and actually daydreams himself into the movie he is showing.

The 5th Silent Film Festival in Thailand will have two professional accompanists – Maud Nelissen and Richard Siedhoff – performing live for all 11 films. The pair will also be the guest speakers at the “Talk with Musicians” event on Friday.

They will also host a workshop for interested pianists at the Sri Salaya Cinema of the Film Archive at Buddha Monthon Sai 5. The workshop will be held over two days, with each session independent of the other.

On May 29, the trainer is Siedhoffm the new-generation pianist from Germany and on May 30 , Dutch national Nelissen takes over. The workshop, which is in English, runs from 1 to 5 on both days and is free.

What’s on when

Scala Theatre, Siam Square

Thursday, May 24

>> 7.30pm “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (France / 1928 / 96 min)

Lido Theatre, Siam Square

Friday, May 25

>> 6.30pm “Dutch Types” (France / 1915 / 4 min)*

>> “The Secret of Delft” (Netherlands / 1917 / 65 min)*

>> 8pm “Journey into the Night” (Germany / 1921 / 81 min)**

Saturday, May 26

>> Noon “45 Minutes from Hollywood” (US / 1926 / 22 min)**

>> “Sherlock Jr” (US / 1924 / 45 min)**

>> 2.30pm “The House on Trubnaya” (Soviet Union / 1928 / 84 min)*

>> 5pm Talk with Musicians

>> 7pm “The Devious Path” (Germany / 1928 / 98 min)**

Sunday, May 27

>> Noon “Foolish Wives” (US / 1922 / 101 min)*

2.30pm “Dutch Types’” (France / 1915 / 4 min) *

>> ‘The Secret of Delft’ (Netherlands / 1917 / 65 min)*

5pm “The Grey Automobile” (Mexico / 1919 / 223 min)**

Monday, May 28

>> 6.30pm “The Goddess” (China / 1934 / 78 min)*

>> 8pm “The Devious Path” (Germany / 1928 / 98 min)**

Tuesday, May 29

>> 6.30pm “The House on Trubnaya” (Soviet Union / 1928 / 84 min)*

>> 8pm “Journey into the Night” (Germany / 1921 / 81 min)**

Wednesday, May 30

>> 6.30pm “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (France / 1928 / 96 min)**

>> 8.15pm “The Goddess” (China / 1934 / 78 min)*

Thursday, May 31

>> 6.30pm “Foolish Wives” (US / 1922 / 101 min)*

>> 8.30pm “45 Minutes from Hollywood” (US / 1926 / 22 min)**

“Sherlock Jr” (US / 1924 / 45 min)**

*Accompanied by Maud Nelissen

** Accompanied by Richard Siedhoff

TALKING MOVIES

•   Tickets for the screenings cost Bt120 with the exception of “The Grey Automobile” when they go up to Bt200.
•  All films have Thai and English intertitles
•  Pianists wanting to attend the workshop should apply before Friday at https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeE5nNOXkder4Nx_E…/viewform.
•  For more information, check out Facebook.com/The Silent Film Festival in Thailand

A feast of glitz, glamour and Bollywood’s finest talent, global dignitaries, world media, Indian cinema fans and enthusiasts from across the globe will be heading to the Thai capital to take part in the star-studded weekend.

Fans of the biggest celebration of Indian cinema will see rising star Kartik Aaryan and Ayushmann Khurrana host the vibrant IIFA Rocks 2018 while the NEXA IIFA Awards have Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh as their emcees.

Performers in the running for awards include Bollywood megastars Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor.

This year, IIFA has proudly partnered with Woosh Washing Expert, to support the cause of equality at home – “Barabari Ghar Se Shuru”. This partnership provides a platform to contribute and raise awareness for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality.

In its continuing effort to campaign about environment protection, the IIFA and the United Nations Environment Programme are launching the campaign, “Beat Plastic Pollution”, combining the power of the IIFA platform to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time.

This year the IIFA Foundation will be collaborating with Osian’s auction house, to showcase vintage cinema memorabilia at an exhibition event,which will be held at the Bangkok Marriott Marquis, Queens Park hotel from June 21 to 23.

“I was privileged to be at the Millennium Dome in London when the IIFAs were born and I’ve participated in the journey across the world. My father and I have been part of the IIFA Advisory Board and share the passion to take Indian cinema across the world. The impact of the IIFAs can be felt in the growth of distribution and film incentives in key markets around the globe. I wish the IIFAs well and more power to the organising team of Wizcraft,” Karan Johar says.

Fans and media can keep abreast of the latest news and details on IIFA and Hindi cinema by logging on to http://www.Iifa.com or checking out http://www.Instagram.com/iifa.

As a child, Rohena Gera never understood why her family’s live-in nanny, the “woman she loved like a second mother” was kept at arm’s length by her Indian family.

“I didn’t understand why this person who took care of me, who I loved… was so separate.”

In a country where millions of servants sleep on the floor of the homes they work in, the idea that a “master” might fall for the meek low-caste woman who is there to cook and scrub for him seemed “inconceivable”, she says.

But that is the premise of Gera’s new film, “Sir”, an upstairs-downstairs love story of a kind she says has never been seen in an Indian movie.

That the maid is a widow – whose lives can be severely circumscribed in India – adds another layer of taboo to the tenderly told tale which premiered at the Cannes film festival on Monday.

Young property developer Ashwin and his maid Ratna may live “under the same roof but they are in completely different worlds,” Gera notes.

“They do not even speak the same language,” with him coming from the English-speaking Mumbai elite and her a poor villager.

Even if by some miracle he married her, his family and friends might object to sharing a table with her.

Nor would she “be able to sit on a sofa with his sister”, Gera adds.

“Indian society is pretty rigid. It not so much the caste system as class these days which plays out as caste… And we accept it. No one is doing anything actively to challenge it.”

The director saw the divide more starkly when she returned from college in the US. “You see these dramatic inequalities but I didn’t know what to do about it.

“I couldn’t be holier than thou because I am part of the problem,” Gera admits.

So rather than making “some preachy story or tell people what to think”, instead she spun a subtly revealing study of thwarted love.

It is more Bergman than Bollywood, but as Gera jokes, “it does have two dance numbers”.

“As you get older, you begin to realise how love operates, how we allow ourselves to love who we love,” says the filmmaker, whose documentary “What’s Love Got To Do With It” was about arranged marriages.

“They are both victims in a way. He is in his gilded cage of privilege but he can’t live his dreams.”

Ratna the maid, played by rising star Tillotama Shome, is in some ways freer than him, Gera claims, fired by a fierce determination to make the best of her circumstances.

“People not familiar with India might think, ‘Oh my god, she sleeps on the floor in this little tiny room,” but in Indian terms she is in a relatively privileged situation for a maid, the director insists.

“She is earning money and she has her dreams. She is not judging where she sleeps. It is not so different to what happened in England and Europe a few generations ago.”

Following those dreams as a widow sets her apart in a country where patriarchal attitudes have become more entrenched under the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Widows are still seen as cursed or bringers of bad luck by some, Gera says.

“They are denied a lot of joy and from wearing certain colours… Even in the supposedly progressive cities I have friends whose mothers lost their husbands in their forties and they never really moved on. You can’t date in India if you are a widow and you have a child.

“For a widow to have desire is seen as preposterous.”

“I don’t know how people will take that,” says Gera, who hopes the film will be seen widely in India.

“I think it will make some people extremely uncomfortable, which isn’t a bad thing. But I think it will give others hope,” she adds.

But in the film Ratna – who has been brought up to be docile and deferential, anticipating her employer’s every whim – manages not just to free herself but also her master, without losing her dignity.

The film was warmly received by critics, with The Guardian calling it a “delicately observed and attractive drama with some great Mumbai cityscapes and an excellent performance from Shome”.

The French press was equally smitten by the actress best known for “Monsoon Wedding”.

With two Indian women directors selected for Cannes for the first time ever this year, Indian indie cinema seems to be on the up.

“It is a good year for Indian women at a very bad time for Indian women,” Gera says dryly. “Our voices need to be heard.”

 The most prestigious film event in the world, the 71st Cannes Film Festival kicked off last week with a screening schedule of than 60 films, 21 of them competing in the main competition to take home the coveted the Palme d’Or.

This edition – the 71st –is an interesting one for Asian films, with the presentation of new works by masters like Jia Zhang-Ke, Lee Chang Dong and Koreeda Hirokazu in the main competition, while new faces like Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival for his 2015 film “Happy Hour” is in Cannes for the first time with his latest film “Asako I & II”.

Interestingly, the only Southeast Asian feature film screened in Cannes this year is “Ten Years Thailand”, a cinematic omnibus directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Wisit Sasanatieng, Aditya Assarat and newcomer Chulayarnnon Siriphol. The film, which is being presented out of competition in the Special Screening section, had its world premiere on May 10.

Apichatpong, a previous Palme d’Or winner, is busy with his new art projects and decided not to attend the festival this time, but all the other directors were in to Cannes to attend the screening.

Apichatpong’s “Song of the City”

“I was asked by [director of photography] Teerawat Rujenatham to make an omnibus film for the project ‘Films For Free’,” says Wisit, who directed the episode “Catopia”. He’s back on the French Riviera for the first time in 17 years, having previously flown in to present his “Tears of the Black Tiger”, which was screened in Un Certain Regard in 2001.

“We wanted to make film about the present situation, but there was no theme. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang was initially also part of the project but later bowed out. Aditya, who knows the Hong Kong team behind the ‘Ten Years’ project, then joined and asked all of us what we thought about doing a ‘Ten Years Thailand’,” says Wisit.

“Ten Years” is a Hong Kong omnibus film made in 2015 by five young directors – Kwok Zune, Wong Fei-pang, Jevons Au, Chow Kwun-Wai and Ng Ka-leung. A dystopian movie, it shows how Hong Kong will look like in the next 10 years under the heavy-handed control of the Beijing government. The film was a major success in Hong Kong and won Best Picture from the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards. Understandably, the mainland Chinese government was not happy with the film and tried to censor it. The original Hong Kong film was also had a limited release in Thailand in 2017, and Golden Scene, the Hong Kong producer, has since exported the concept to Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. “Ten Years Japan” and “Ten Years Taiwan” are set for release in the near future.

“Because the Hong Kong project was so successful, the producers wanted to expand the concept to other Asian countries,” explains Aditya, who has masterminded its Thai version.

“They came to talk to me about it. The original Hong Kong film is about politics, which means that the Thai version will have to touch on politics. Thailand has endured political conflict for the last 10 years, so this is an interesting time to do a project like this. Cattleya Posrijaroen and Soros Sukhum were also involved with a political film project with Apichatpong and Wisit on board, so we just put together our resources.

“And because it’s an omnibus, I wanted to direct one of the segments as well as produce. Being a producer is kind of boring,” says Aditya.

“I missed the original film as it was in cinemas for a very short period,” adds Wisit, who brings his own interpretation of Thailand’s future to the screen.

“According to the producer, the concept is flexible. We don’t have to make films about what will happen in Thailand in the next 10 years but we can also talk about the effects of what is going on now on Thailand’s future.”

Catopia

Wisit’s “Catopia” tells the story of a Thailand run by catmen, who hunt and kill all the humans. The main protagonist could be last human in the world and he has to find ways to survive.

“The film is about witch-hunting, something I experienced myself on the Internet a few years back. Some people were not happy with what I posted on Facebook, and because of that, I lost some friends and was attacked on the social media,” Wisit recalls.

There were supposed to be five episodes of “Ten Years Thailand”, but for reasons unknown, the segment by Chookiat Sakveerakul is yet to be completed. Aditya and Cattleya brought in Chulyarnnon Siriphol, an artist and short filmmaker.

“We need the voice of the younger generation”, says Chulyarnnon.

“I wanted to make a film that reflects the severe censorship in Thai society but not in too straight a way. I use art to convey the idea,” says Chulyarnnon of his “Planetarium”, an experimental piece about scouts trained by the state to bring in citizens who think differently to the Ministry of VHS where they will be cured by strange lights that correct their attitude. “Art or creative media is an important tool to criticise what is going on in Thai society,” Chulyarnnon adds.

Aditya’s episode “Sunset” is a black-and-white film about officers who come to inspect an art gallery to make sure that what’s on show won’t cause conflict in society. “There was a real incident in which an art gallery was inspected by officers, and they took down some of the photos. I saw the photo that they took down, which is just a simple photo of a soldier walking in the art gallery. I found it very powerful so I turned it into the idea for my film,” he says. Aditya.

For “Song of the City”, Apichatpong filmed at the monument to Field Marshall Sarit Thanarat in his native Khon Kaen. Construction is going on all round and the area is packed with people. Some are talking, others sing a traditional Isaan song while yet others are selling a machine that can help you sleep better.

After Cannes, “Ten Years Thailand” will continue its journey on the festival circuit and should be shown in Thailand soon – the best audience to understand the film. The segment directed by Chookiat Sakveerakul may be added to the Thai version of the film.

The series is scheduled to premiere later this year on HBO Asia’s on-air, online and on-demand platforms.

“Grisse” is set in the mid-1800s during the colonial period of the Dutch East Indies. The series chronicles the story of a group of unlikely individuals who lead a rebellion against a brutal governor and suddenly find themselves in control of a Dutch garrison town called Grisse. The stories revolve around a number of unique characters, each from diverse backgrounds and creeds, who unite for the chance to determine their own destiny from the yoke of tyranny.

“We are delighted to once again bring together many talents from Asia to produce this adaptation of a historical tale of a small town in Indonesia. ‘Grisse’ promises to be action-packed with plot twists and interesting storylines that we hope will captivate our audiences in the region and beyond,” says Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia.

Developed and produced by HBO Asia together with Singapore-based Infinite Studios, “Grisse” will feature an ensemble cast of actors who are based in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Europe. They include Adinia Wirasti (“Halfworlds Season 1”), Marthino Lio (“Sayang You Can Dance”), Michael Wahr (“City Homocide”), Edward Akbar (“Air Terjun Pengantin”), Jamie Aditya (“Sync or Swim”) and Toshiji Takeshima (HBO’s “True Blood”).

The series is directed by Mike Wiluan of “Buffalo Boys” fame.

The eight-episode series is based on the best-selling novel “Sacred Games” by Vikram Chandra and the eight hour-long episodes are directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

A policeman, a criminal overlord, a Bollywood film star, politicians, cultists, spies, and terrorists – the lives of the privileged, the famous, the wretched, and the bloodthirsty interweave with cataclysmic consequences amid the chaos of modern-day Mumbai.

Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is a seasoned and cynical Bombay police officer, who is summoned by an anonymous tip one morning, a voice which promises him an opportunity to capture the powerful Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), criminal overlord of the G-Company. As the stakes mount and Sartaj seeks knowledge of his prey, it becomes clear that the game the two players thought they were engaged in is in fact part of a much larger scenario, one that expands beyond their city.

A royally sponsored bathing rite will be held at 4pm on Tuesday at Wat Makutkasattriyaram, Pavilion 6, where the Abhidhamma prayer will be recited for him for the next seven days.

Dokdin, born Thamrong Kanyaman on October 25, 1924, received the Prince Narathip Praphanphong Award in 2007, an honour reserved for senior artists and writers.

He was named a National Artist in the performing arts (film) in 2012.

Dokdin directed and appeared in the 1964 movie “Nok Noi” (Little Bird), which won the Phra Surasawadee (Tukata Thong, or Golden Doll) Award.

Shot on 16mm film, as was the norm then, it became the first Thai movie to earn more than Bt1 million at the box office and brought its stars, Mit Chaibancha and Phetchara Chaowarat, national fame.

Based on the success of “Nok Noi”, Dokdin promoted his subsequent releases with the catchphrase “Lan laew ja”, meaning “one million already”.

And, sure enough, of the 32 films he directed or produced, 24 topped Bt1 million in earnings.