The Bangkok Asean Film Festival returns for its fourth edition tomorrow to SF World Cinema at CentralWorld and this year promises to be better than ever with 10 of the 13 movies selected vying for recognition in the Best Asean Film Award competition.

Organised by Thailand’s Culture Ministry of Culture in partnership with the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association, the festival, which continues through Sunday, celebrates the 51st anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean.

The competition aims to promote the strength of Southeast Asian filmmakers, and will reward the winner with a trophy and $10,000 (Bt330,000) while the film awarded Jury Prize will earn a trophy and $5,000.

This year’s jury is made up of Yoshi Yatabe, head of programming of Tokyo International Film festival; Kiki Fung, a programmer for |the Hong Kong International |Film Festival; and Prawit TaengAksorn, a Thai film lecturer, critic and board member of the Thai Film Archive.

The festival opens with “Eullenia” by Bangkok-based British director Paul Spurrier, who made a major splash with his directorial debut “Paa” (“The Forest”). For “Eullenia”, Spurrier is again working with actor Vitthaya Pansringarm in a tale centred on Marcus Hammond (Alec Newman), the founder of a powerful finance company called Eullenia, which specialises in giving out micro-loans to low-earning people in Southeast Asia. But Hammond’s dark secret and a self-destructive desire threaten to put an end to his empire.

Night Bus

Other films showing include:

“Nen Kradote Kamphang” (“The Wall”)

This film, the only Thai movie in the competition and directed by Boonsong Nakphoo mixes documentary with fiction, telling the story of a film director who experiences a rollercoaster of emotions, dreams, and secrets while scouting for location.

“Nervous Translation”

The acclaimed drama from the Philippines has won several awards since the beginning of the year. Set in 1988, near the end of the dictatorial rule of President Ferdinand Marcos, the film focuses on the life of an eight-year-old child who accidentally discovers something that helps “translate” thoughts of nervous people.

“Guang”

From Malaysia hails this tale of two brothers, one of them autistic and a highly talented musician.

“In The Life of Music”

A testament to love, war, and family relationships, this film from Cambodia spans three decades through the song “Champa of Battambang”, a classic tune by Sinn Sisamuth.

“Night Bus”

This thriller from Indonesia is set on a night bus to Sampah, a remote town where the military is fighting a separatist movement. One of the passengers is coming to end the conflict and his presence puts everyone in danger.

Passage of Life

“Passage of Life”

A co-production between Myanmar and Japan, “Passage” depicts a Myanmar family living in Japan. Their two sons grow up like typical Japanese children. The mother longs to go back to Myanmar, but the father is unable to leave his job. One day, they receive a letter that will change their lives forever.

“Shuttle Life”

The winner of three awards at the 2017 Shanghai International Film Festival 2017 including best film, the Malaysian drama tells the story of Ah Qiang, a poor teenage boy who lives with his sick mother and his five-year-old sister in a small apartment. When Ah Qiang’s sister is in an accident, he realises the agony of the underprivileged class and has to fight tooth and nail with the hospital and the bureaucracy to maintain his sister’s rights and dignity.

“The Ashes And Ghosts of Tayug 1931”

This black-and-white oeuvre from the Philippines tells the story of a filmmaker who travels to the town of Tayug, in Pangasinan, to research the story of Pedro Calosa, a local hero and central figure in the Uprising of 1931.

“The Seen and Unseen”

This Indonesia-Netherlands-Australia-Qatar co-production depicts a 10-year-old girl during the final moments of her twin brother Tantra and their imaginary journey as she hovers between hope and despair.

“Their Remaining Journey”

The spirit of a dead actor is trapped in a stranger’s family as she waits for reincarnation. As a ghost, she watches the lives of the people around her and reflects on the losses suffered by her own family.

The festival also celebrates the film heritage of Asean by showing three classic films: “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?” (1980) by Filipino director Mike De Leon; “MeePok Man” (1986) by Singaporean director Eric Khoo; and “Sawan Mued” (“Dark Heaven”), the 1965 Thai drama by director Ratana Pestonji.

Admission to all films is free and tickets can be picked up the tickets 30 minutes before each show.

Join the conversation at Facebook.com/BangkokAseanFilmFestival

“PRISCILLA QUEEN of the Desert”, “Beats Per Minute” and the critically acclaimed South African drama “The Wound” are among the movies showing at the inaugural LGBT+ Film Festival Bangkok, which gets underway today at Bangkok Screening Room.

Running through Sunday, the festival will explore the diverse facets of the community through films, special events, talks, and live performances and a special art exhibition. It will also serve as a safe place for discussions about important issues, such as marriage equality and equal opportunity.

The only Thai entry to the festival is the anthology “i Stories” from four talented directors Nattawut Poonpiriya (“Bad Genius”), Naruebet Kuno, Salinee Khemcharas and Thitipong Kerdtongtawee, each of whom tell their stories in their own ways. Showing on Saturday at 4.15pm, it will be followed by a Directors’ Talk.

Australia’s “Priscilla” is one of the best-known drag queen movies ever made. Directed by Stephan Elliott, it portrays two drag performers and a transgender woman’s journey across the Australian outback. “The Wound” (“Inxeba”), South Africa’s official selection for the Oscar’s Best Foreign Language film, is an exploration of tradition and sexuality set amid South Africa’s Xhosa culture. Every year, the tribe’s young men are brought to the mountains of the Eastern Cape to participate in an ancient coming-of-age ritual. Xolani, a quiet and sensitive factory worker (Nakhane Toure), is assigned to guide Kwanda (Niza Jay), a city boy from Johannesburg sent by his father to be toughened up, through this rite of passage into manhood.

Other films include “Beats Per Minute” from France, “Signature Move” from Spain, “Hard Paint” (“Tinta Bruta”) from Portugal, “Those Long Haired Nights” from The Philippines and “Tom of Finland” from Finland, a biopic of artist Touko Laaksonen that narrates the events that influenced his iconic homoerotic drawings.

A co-production between the Philippines and Taiwan, “Tale of the Lost Boys” is the story of the friendship between two men — Alex (Oliver Aquino), a Filipino mechanic, and Jerry (Ta Su), a Taiwanese aborigine student. The two meet by chance when Alex flees to Taipei from Manila, upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant. A casual conversation develops into a surprising personal connection between them and leads them to undertake a journey that ends up at Jerry’s tribal home.

Documentary fans shouldn’t miss “The Queen of Ireland” -the uplifting documentary about Ireland’s superstar drag queen Panti Bliss as she rises from “giant cartoon woman” to one of the highest-profile activists in the LGBTIQ community. Conor Horgan’s five years in the making documentary follows her journey of self-discovery against the backdrop of Ireland’s 2015 referendum on marriage equality.

The festival also features events and shows, including one hosted by Thai fashion icon, stylist, designer and drag queen Art Araya on Wednesday at 6pm. Entry is free to those purchasing tickets to “The Queen of Ireland” or “The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert”. Only 50 seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis but to ensure attendance, email hello@bkksr.com for the proof of purchase with your name and contact number.

Saturday features an exclusive talk hosted by Bangkok Rainbow at 1.45pm, while on Sunday, film fans can attend a discussion with film blogger Earth Oscar, and directors Anucha Boonyawatana (“Malila: The Farewell Flower”) and Tanwarin Sukkhapisit (“Insects in the Backyard”), also 1.45pm. Both talks are in Thai and admission is free are free though reservations are required.

Also on Sunday is an exclusive talk hosted by Dudesweet at 6.30pm. Tickets are Bt300 for students and members and Bt400 for everyone else. The special guests will be announced nearer the time. Again, the discussion will be in Thai only.

Ticket prices for the screenings are Bt300, Bt250 for students and Bt240 for members, except for “i Stories”, which costs just Bt100.

Tickets are available at the box office and anyone buying tickets for three or more film receives a 15-per-cent discount.

For more information, please call (090) 906 3888 or visit Bkksr.com

The series opens as a Russian bomber crashes in the South China Sea and Section 20’s covert special-ops soldiersThomas “Mac” McAllister (Brown), Samuel Wyatt (MacPherson) and Gracie Novin (Sumarwata) are sent to investigate. There, they cross paths with Katrina Zarkova (Allen), a rogue Russian operative with questionable loyalties.

Under orders of the new commanding officer, Col Alexander Coltrane (Bamber), Section 20 pursues stolen contents of the Russian jet across Southeast Asia, working alongside the Malaysian police to shut down a Triad gang in Kuala Lumpur, uncovering a corrupt plot by a wealthy Indian businesswoman running for Parliament and plunging into the jungles of the Golden Triangle in Myanmar, facing off against mercenary drug agents and terrifying warlords, as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens to push the world to the brink of global conflict.

“We are delighted to offer Section 20 the opportunity to continue saving the world from mayhem and destruction,” says Kary Antholis, president of HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming.

“We’re delighted to be back with Cinemax for a new season. We have fantastic actors and crew members who work incredibly hard to provide big-screen action for the small screen, with all the drama, high stakes, and mayhem that involves, and I can’t wait for the audience to see the twists and turns we’ve got lined up,” added Jack Lothian, writer and executive producer.

Viewers can stream the first five seasons on HBO GO via AIS Play and AIS Playbox.

Among them were the cast of the action movie, including Pornlert Pipatrungruang, who plays the main character of Khun Rong Palad Choo and Khwanjira Buakong, who portrays his wife Pikul. Also spotted were Payap Khamphan, the president of the Thai Buddha Image Admiration Association, Pisal Techawipak, Winravee “Ta Boyscout” Yaisamoe, Supakorn “Tok” Kitsuwon, Nanthasai “Tae” Visalyaputra, Jayjintai Untimanon, Saitharn “Tai” Niyomkarn, Watcharachai Sunthornsiri, aka Ant Mathamin, Chatchawal “Keng” Phetwisit, Vichan Meesom, aka John Bravo, Jaran Ngamdee, Jakkrit “Joe” Khacharat, Sornsutha Klunmalee, aka Taurae Chernyim, Chitisan Pongsuthachakrit, aka Chusri Chernyim and Seree Rungsawang.

“This is my first action film and I worked hard practising my moves with weapons. The hardest was working with an elephant, as I had no idea how to control it and never knew when it get close to me. It’s very dangerous as the animal kept using its trunk to strike me. So, really had to take care of myself, “says Pornlert, who is a khon performer and also a sword master with the Fine Arts Department.

Khwanjira concurs, saying she found the fighting scenes very difficult, even after three months of practice. “And the archery was really hard. Pikul is a skilled archer but I’d never done it before.”

For the premiere, the hall was decorated Ayuthaya style and saw the actors and actresses dressed in traditional Thai costumes taking photos with fans, female vendors in full costume offering “khanom jeen namya” and “khanom jeen kaeng kai”, traditional desserts such as “khanom kong”, “khanom thong yod” and “med khanoon”, and healthy drinks. The event included the performances of “pleng choi” (Thai folk music) and the fine art of fencing.

Directed by Jetnipat Sasaing, the movie is based on a real-life Thai hero, Khun Rong Palad Choo, who gathered a group of villagers from Ang Thong’s Wiset Chi Chan district to form an army of 400 brave fighters to stand up against 8,000 enemy troops at Kui Buri. The great warrior is regarded as a role model for the younger generation.

The idea for the movie came fromPayap Khamphan, a native of Wiset Chi Chan, and composer of the songs “Khun Suek Kwang Mueang Wiset Chai Chan Khun Rong Palad Choo” and “Nak Rob Niranam Khun Rong Palad Choo”. The movie aims to promote love and loyalty to the country, religion, and the king.

Universal’s latest earth-stomping dinosaur movie took in $60 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.

The superhero-family-next-door of “Incredibles 2,” a Pixar/Disney animation, earned $45.5 million.

Together they helped estimated industry receipts to the end of June rise 15 percent against the same month last year.

“Jurassic,” featuring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, and “Incredibles,” with voice actors Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter, were expected to do well. The former is nearing the $1 billion mark globally, while “Incredibles” is set to become the second-biggest animated film ever in North America, after “Finding Dory.”

But Variety said that two new films, Sony’s “Sicario: Day of the Saldado” and Lionsgate’s “Uncle Drew,” had easily outperformed industry expectations to place third and fourth.

The “Sicario” sequel, an action thriller starring Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, took in $19 million, outperforming the well-reviewed original film by $7 million. Its highly-topical premise has CIA agent Brolin teaming up with hitman Del Toro to fight drug cartels smuggling “terrorists” across the Mexican border.

On a lighter note, “Uncle Drew” draws on the talents of basketball stars present and past — Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Lisa Leslie and Reggie Miller, with a court-full of others in cameo roles.

Hard-luck streetball team manager Uncle Drew (Irving, in a role that originated in a Pepsi ad) rounds up his old crew ahead of a big tournament in Brooklyn. The film took in $15.5 million.

“Ocean’s 8” from Warner Bros. slipped two spots to fifth place, taking in $8 million in its fourth week out. The female-centric heist film stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Tag” ($5.6 million)

“Deadpool 2” ($3.5 million)

“Sanju” ($2.6 million)

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” ($2.3 million)

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” ($2.3 million)

This year’s spotlight is on Indonesian cinema. Kolektif project manager Gayatri Nadya has assembled a full day of programming and a lively discussion with movie experts and filmmakers.

Recent years have seen a cinematic resurgence in Indonesia as it opens to more foreign investors, builds more theatres, and continuously breaks its own box-office records.

New and exciting Indonesian talent has emerged, making a notable impact on the international festival circuit with a fresh vision that has won high praise from critics and audiences alike.

The Luang Prabang festival’s “visual identity” this year is inspired by vintage travel posters, in support of Visit Laos Year 2018. The main design features a chic Southeast Asian filmmaker location-scouting in Luang Prabang during the festival.

Manilla Chounlamountri, art director of the Vientiane-based Me-Idea Full Service Agency, came up with the concept.

“We feel a lot of pressure to top our previous years’ graphics and we’re confident that our designer has somehow accomplished it once again,” says festival director Gabriel Kuperman.

“I love all the references within the visual. You have the throwback travel-poster feel, the empowered female filmmaker, the backdrop of this gorgeous little town with its mixture of traditional Lao and colonial French architecture, and of course, there’s our intimate festival stuck in there so naturally.”

Last year’s festival welcomed 22,000 attendees with screenings, panel discussions and live performances of dance, theatre and music.

This year’s audience is expected to be even larger as the festival cements its role as one of the largest international events held in Laos, and one of the most important film events in the region.

Intimacy remains a key drawing point, however. At the 2017 festival, 23 of the 32 feature films had directors or producers on hand to speak to audiences after screenings, both in group-sessions and one-on-one.

In terms of Southeast Asian artist development, last year’s Talent Lab, led by the Tribeca Film Institute, involved training on writing grant applications and pitching projects. After an open pitch forum, “Raising a Beast”, written and directed by Lao filmmaker Xaisongkham Induangchanthy and produced by Filipina Abigail Lazaro, was selected by a jury for the TFI Network Market at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

There will also be a master-class on screenwriting and a week-long workshop on animation organised in partnership with the American Film Showcase.

All festival events are open to the public and free of charge, and visitors can go easily between the main venues on foot or via a complimentary tuktuk shuttle service.

Keep up to date at http://www.LPFilmFest.org and on the “lpfilmfest” Facebook page.

YouTube’s alliance with two powerhouse names in Hollywood comes as competition intensifies in an online streaming video market with players such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Apple.

Google-owned YouTube’s subscription service Premium offers ad-free viewing of shared videos along with original content for $12 a month.

Original content has become a battlefront in online video, with Netflix and Amazon Prime spending billions of dollars on shows.

The YouTube series titled “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” will center on the US cult of unbridled entrepreneurship and a woman’s intense pursuit of the American Dream.

The series will be set in the 1990s, and is scheduled for release next year.

YouTube Premium, formerly named YouTube Red, had a hit with its first big original series, “Cobra Kai,” inspired by the “Karate Kid” martial arts underdog film from 1984.

The first episode of “Cobra Kai” has logged more than 40 million views since it was made available at YouTube on May 2 and a second season has been ordered.

Launched in late 2015, YouTube Premium includes an online streaming music service and is seen as part of a broader effort by Google-parent Alphabet to expand how it makes money beyond advertising revenue.

Talented duo Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh played hosts in their own inimitable ways, Karan with the classic witty zingers and Riteish with her charismatic character.

As the finale of the event, the IIFA Awards saw India’s most loved actress Rekha (Banurekha Ganesan) put on a nostalgic performance and take the audience back in time.

The night also featured performances from superstars including Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon and Lulia Vantur.

The IIFA paid tribute to two of the most celebrated actors of Indian cinema, the great Shashi Kapoor and the late diva Sridevi Kapoor.

Venerated actor Anupam Kher was presented the prestigious IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema, recognising his immense contribution. And e-commerce firm Myntra presented the Style Icon of the Year award to young Kriti Sanon.

For the fourth consecutive year, the IIFAs were broadcast exclusively on India’s Hindi entertainment channel Colors, with star-studded programming including flashbacks, IIFA Buzz, IIFA Rocks and the Nexa IIFA Awards.

For digitally savvy viewers, it was available on video-on-demand platform VOOT from the house of Viacom18.

IIFA AWARD WINNERS 2018

Best Picture: “Tumhari Sulu”

Best Story: Amit V Masurkar (“Newton”)

Best Direction: Saket Chaudhary (“Hindi Medium”)

Best Debut Director: Konkona Sen Sharma (“A Death in the Gunj”)

Best Actress: Sridevi Kapoor (“Mom”)

Best Actor: Irrfan Khan (“Hindi Medium”)

Best Music Direction: Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi and Akhil Sachdeva (“Badrinath Ki Dulhania”)

Best Playback Singer Female: Meghna Mishra (“Main Kaun Hoon” – “Secret Superstar”)

Best Playback Singer Male: Arijit Singh (“Hawayein” – “Jab Harry Met Sejal”)

Supporting Actress: Meher Vij (“Secret Superstar”)

Supporting Actor: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (“Mom”)

Best Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir (“Mere Rashke Qamar” – “Baadshaho”)

Written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok, this 24-episode series is the latest work of Hwa&Dam Pictures and Studio Dragon, which created the global hit series “Descendants of the Sun” and “Goblin”. It will premiere in Japan on July 8 and the rest of the world on July 19.

“We have seen so much passion for top quality Korean stories and the pedigree of a title like ‘Mr Sunshine’ is a significant step forward in building a strong Korean content library for our members around the world,” said Rob Roy, vice president of content acquisition.

Set during the US expedition to Korea in the late 19th century, “Mr Sunshine” tells the story of a Korean boy born into a family of a house servants running away to board an American warship, later to return to his homeland as a US marine officer. He ironically falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter and discovers the dark scheme to colonise the country that he once ran away from.

Lee Byung-hun, who played Storm Shadow in the “GI Joe” series and Han Cho Bai in “Red 2”, is cast in the role of US marine officer Eugene Choi, while Kim Tae-ri who came into the spotlight with The Handmaiden, will play the aristocrat’s daughter, Ko Ae-shin.

Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, and Byun Yo-han also play key roles.

“Ant-man and the Wasp,” the sequel to 2015’s “Ant-Man,” is the 20th release in a decade from the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of comic book movies, and the first to feature a woman in the title.

“We always knew that the next one was going to be ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,'” Kevin Feige, the president of Disney-owned Marvel Studios, told AFP at a global press day for the movie in Pasadena, southern California on Sunday.

“It’s finally time to see her suit up and be the hero that she said earlier she wanted to be.”

The 2015 movie featured Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne as a wannabe superhero and she returns in the sequel leaner, meaner and ready to step up on an equal footing with Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man.

Lilly told AFP the original plan was to introduce the Wasp’s origin story in Marvel’s 2016 release “Captain America: Civil War” along with Ant-Man and the other Avengers.

“I got a call saying, ‘We’ve decided not to put you in Civil War and there was this moment I could tell where the feeling in the room was like, ‘I’m sorry – don’t be offended.’

“I was like, ‘Are they going to give me a move? Is that what they’re saying?’ And they said, ‘We really want to dedicate a film to introducing this female superhero and we don’t want her just to be a side note.”

The surprise of double-billing came later, when Marvel sent her a screen capture with The Wasp in the title.

Early estimates have “Ant-Man and the Wasp” opening domestically on around $75 million over the weekend of July 6 — a considerable improvement on the $57 million the first film took.