He and fellow Thai directors Anucha Boonyawatana and Rutaiwan Wongsirasawasdi will be attending the 69th Cannes Film Festival from May 11 to 22 in the hope of securing financing to make more movies.

The Culture Ministry’s Thai Film Pitch rummaged through 21 prospective projects before deciding last week that Nawapol’s “Die Tomorrow”, Anucha’s “Malila” and Rutaiwan’s “To Become a Butterfly” were best-suited to promote the local film industry and Thai culture, not to mention Buddhism and the diversity of Thai society.

Nawapol’s “Die Tomorrow” entails six short segments all inspired by deaths reported in the Thai daily newspapers (not this one and, no, not that other one either). People die in accidents, from sickness, are murdered or just get too old. In each case they’re seen just before their death and immediately after. It’s all about the impermanence of life, you see – this appalling cycle of suffering and loss we’re apparently stuck with.

Nawapol’s concept poster for “Die Tomorrow” resembles a newspaper, bearing a black-and-white picture of three young ladies glued to their mobile phones, but beneath that the grim revelation of their demise: “Overloaded boat causes death of three schoolgirls”.

In “Malila”, Anucha explores the meaning of life and death by following a young monk on a journey. It’s full of charming traditional religious ceremonies and engaging philosophy. Anucha made waves last year with his psychosexual gay thriller “The Blue Hour”, which premiered to much acclaim at the Berlin film fest. It won special mentions at the New Flesh Awards at the Fantasia film fest in Montreal. It was also nominated for many Subhanahongsa Awards, but “Freelance” captured the bulk of those prizes. Now set for release in the US, “The Blue Hour” comes to the Museum of Modern Art in New York next month.

Finally, there’s “To Become a Butterfly”, Rutaiwan’s chance to return to the director’s chair after more than 10 years. It’s a drama about a mother devotedly raising an autistic child, teaching him to fit into society. A veteran film industry hand, Rutaiwan directed 2005’s “Wai Onlawon 4” and has long been a behind-the-scenes driving force at Hub Ho Hin and other film-production companies.

She was producer and screenwriter on “The Life of Gravity”, an indie low-budget drama that Pen-ek Ratanaruang shot with just his two actors, Cris Horwang and Peter Nopachai Jayanama, on a Sattahip beach. It was a made-for-TV effort, being broadcast on TrueVisions. More recently, she is working with Pen-ek again as a producer, this time on his latest effort, “Samui Song”, which we may be hearing more about soon.

Consider the humble mosquito net. They had them in ancient Egypt, apparently, protecting the pharaohs while they slept. It’s the cheapest and the most effective way to fend off malaria, after all. But what about mosquito netting as high art?

Artist Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew had a mosquito net in his studio while he was chasing his master’s degree at Silpakorn University. One day a few drops of paint landed on it and he was immediately struck by the effect that resulted. The net surface gave the paint a deep dimension.

What Uttaporn has done with this revelation is startling. He creates mosquito nets that still function as intended (frustrating mosquitoes, that is) – but they bear portraits of people that appear holographic. His images have turned heads around the planet. He’s earned a Sovereign Asian Art Prize, been named an Artist of Distinction at the National Exhibition of Art in Bangkok and won various medals.

An instructor at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang, Uttaporn prints life-size or oversize drawings on the carefully draped netting to form the base. Then oil paint is applied to layers of netting in the same way tulle fabric is painted, which involves a different way of recreating light and shadows realistically.

A top layer adds the details that make the optical illusion complete. Finally all the layers are connected with a line of transparent copolymer. The paintings appear to shift slightly depending on the distance and location from which they’re viewed.

Uttaporn regards his work as “an exploration into the essence of impermanence and the cycles of life”. There’s certainly a haunting nature to the finished pieces. “People have to see my work and experience it, not just see it in photographs,” he advises.

“I intentionally let the threads droop to suggest the flow of life, of ageing and physical degeneration. Everything is in a constant state of decay and fragility, but with death comes rebirth, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Family members are often the subjects of these portraits on net. “Seeing my loved ones gradually deteriorate, I become frightened by the bond of love I feel. I fear losing them, but the fact is that everyone has to be born and die.”

Uttaporn first felt this fear of loss in seeing his mother, to whom he’s particularly close, “growing older, getting weaker”. “I knew she’d eventually be gone.” Ultimately all we can do, he says, is take good care of the those we love while they’re still here, guarding them in their unavoidable fragility, protecting them like a mosquito net shields the dreamer.

 

No, it’s not a doctorate in music videos. She picked up a PhD in international relations at the Ramkhamhaeng University convocation last week. Maybe the Channel [V] host-turned-actress wants to be a diplomat or something.

“Finally I made it!” Ja posted on Instagram, adding pictures of her in the old graduation gown. “A big thank you to Mum and Dad, who always taught me to value education and encouraged me to take good care not only of my appearance but also my intellect.

“Knowledge isn’t handed to you – you have to earn it,” she advised. “And it stays with you forever, because no one can take it away from you. This degree isn’t proof of my success, but rather proof that, if you’re willing and determined and don’t give up, whatever seems impossible can be achieved.”

Ja already had a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in European studies, both from Chulalongkorn University. Now she’s got everything she need to be Thailand’s ambassador to France or Italy.

She’s not exaggerating about her parents insisting on a solid education. At first they were opposed to her getting into show business. “My mum really hated the idea,” Ja told Manager Online a while back. “I had to prove that I could do well at both to gain their approval. They understand now how involved I am in showbiz, but I also knew I could never stop learning and challenging myself intellectually.”

Asked if she’s going to switch to academic pursuits full-time, Ja says she hasn’t planned that far ahead. “For now I’m just going to savour this degree and continue working in showbiz. No one lasts long in this business anyway, so it’s nice to have something else to do when you’re older.”

Happily ever vague

“Who’s the lucky guy?” folks wanted to know after 47-year-old actress-turned producer Ranya “Buum” Siyanon post a picture of two glasses of champagne and a diamond ring on Instagram with the caption “I’m married!”

Actually, it appears that the lucky “guy” is Buum’s girlfriend.

A Matichon reporter asked Buum if the post was for real. Buum’s coy reply: “Well, if someone wears a ring on their ring finger, I guess that means that person is married.” Certainly sounds like a “yes”, but we’re not entirely sure. Another assumption is that she got the ring from the woman she’s been dating for a while.

“Well, she’s very special and very dear me to me,” Buum said, still resplendent in coyness. “I enjoy spending time with her and we hope be together for a long time. Being married or not doesn’t matter. I just posted the picture for fun, to brighten the mood.”

The conservatives in the crowd are spluttering, of course, but Buum’s unfazed. “I don’t really care anymore what other people think about the choices I make in my personal life. To me, love is love, and it has nothing to do with religion, race or gender. I feel very lucky to have found someone who truly connects with me. In this day and age this kind of thing is normal. I don’t see why some people have to make a big deal out of it.”

Love prevails indeed.

DIRECTOR POJ ANON is back with a new film, neither a crossdressing comedy nor a teen horror this time but instead a follow-up to “Luang Phee Teng” (“The Holy Man”), the long-running comedy franchise about a kindly monk at a small-town temple.

“Luang Phee Jazz 4G”, which hits theatres on April 6, promises more unholy hijinks – and more of those instantly recognisable scenes of village life. But the yokels go urban in this one.

Initiated in 2005 by director Note Chernyim, the original Monk Teng was comedian Pongsak “Theng Terdterng” Pongsuwan. A parade of other leading men followed in the sequels in 2008 and 2010, with rapper Joey Boy and actor-musician Krissada Sukosol Clapp taking turns as the serene saffron-clad figure.

For the new entry, the choice is back to a comic, Phadung “Jazz Chuanchuen” Songsang, taking a star turn as a monk ordained at a remote mountaintop temple. He’s sent to Bangkok with a pair of his friends. Much mirth ensues in the big city.

What’s now a funny-monk franchise marks Poj’s first time working with the Major Cineplex group. He and his company Guru Films had previously been attached to Phranakorn Film Studios.

Major has now added Guru to a roster of studio labels that already includes M-Thirtynine, Transformation, Talent 1 and Raluek Films. Rerkchai Puangpetch runs Raluek, having jumped over to Major after a long association with M-Thirtynine.

At a recent press conference unveiling the formidable stable of talent at Major, Poj said he was delighted to have the chance to work for Major. He promised to produce movies that suit its market, which is the massive upcountry audience patronising its hundreds of cinemas across the country.

That shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for Poj, who’s always been enormously successful at the box office, as well as being Thailand’s most prolific director, churning out at least two or three pictures every year.

To the suggestion that he might trip up his track record by making movies about monks – a rather sensitive subject at times – Poj said he’s not worried because never seems to stir up controversy. “The way some monks behave in real life is far worse than anything I present on film,” he chuckled.

“Luang Phee Jazz 4G” does cover some of the controversial monk territory, he said, but it’s done in a hilarious way that will appeal to viewers of all ages. It has, for instance, a monk carrying a posh Balenciaga bag, as seen on TV last month when real-life monks got in a punch-up with soldiers at Wat Buddhamonthon. And Jazz, of course, got into hot water with his latest music video, “Mae Yab”.

Poj was actually the editor of the teen magazine Ther Kab Chan before getting into show business, first as a talent scout. He gets much of the credit for the emergence of teen idols such as Somchai Khemklad, Patiparn Pattaweekarn, Ratthapoom Tokongsab and Andrew Gregson.

Eventually settling into the director’s chair, he made his first movie, “Sati Taek Suk Khua Loke”, in 1995. In recent years he’s come out with at least two releases per annum, including the franchises “Hor Taew Taek” (shrieking crossdressing comedians) and “Mor 6/5” (shirtless screaming teen boys).

He’ll never win an Oscar with this stuff, perhaps not even a Subhanahongsa, the Thai Oscar, but audiences love it and the movies earn a bundle. Investors line up to give him cash to make more of the same.

What’s the secret of his success, apart from decent scripts and a trusted reputation? Poj says he “tries not to be old”. He keeps an eye on whatever interests young people and just puts that into his films.

 

Although Somchai has remained aloof from the runway, his beautiful togs are often seen draped on celebrities at public events. As recently as Saturday night, actress Kanokwan Dan-udom was clad in Kai, a gorgeous golden evening gown, when she received lifetime-achievement honours at the televised Golden Television Awards.

The surprise behind Somchai’s success is that he never graduated from any fashion school. At the beginning, he says, he couldn’t even make a basic pattern. In the subsequent five decades, though, he became the country’s most respected couturier as he pushed Thai fashion onto the world stage. Even members of the royal family wear his elegant creations.

All this and much more is covered in the Vogue interview – the rural high-schooler from Yala carrying his art studies at the Poh Chang Institute on to Silpakorn University. He didn’t stay there long, quitting to become a dressmaker, opening his own business at age 22, upstairs at the Siam Theatre in Siam Square. That was 1969, the first step on the road to fame, and now he’s 69.

“It’s been up and down ever since, but my brand is still alive,” Somchai says. “I still don’t know much about the fashion business. The only reason I’ve survived is because I have my dreams. I always dream of new things and make them happen.”

Most in demand for the fabulous wedding gowns that truly are dreams come true, he makes everything by hand, and the imagination and effort are evident in the prices. Even the most basic wedding dress costs many thousand baht, and once bejewelled with gems it can run to Bt1 million.

Back in the early days, Somchai says, there were few fashion magazines in Thailand. He drew his inspiration mostly from the movies. Long before Leonardo DiCaprio came along, Robert Redford did a film of “The Great Gatsby”, and Somchai came out with a line of clothes for his first fashion show, “1920s Look”, with our own movie stars and hi-so figures doing the modelling – including Kanokwan.

He’s grateful to her and to another veteran actress, Patravadi “Khru Lek” Meejudon, who he credits with cementing his place in the Thai fashion scene. “She’d just graduated overseas and was very trendy, the hottest lady around. She ran a fashion magazine called Femina and opened a boutique with Patsri Bunnag at the Ploenchit Centre.”

There’s a reason, it turns out, why many of Kai’s cocktail dresses resemble ballet costumes. At age eight he wanted to be up on his toes onstage. By age 15 he was learning the steps from one of Thailand’s great early ballerinas, Khunying Varaporn Pramoj.

Somchai is also keen to credit French designer Pierre Balmain, whose marvellous dresses made for Her Majesty the Queen gave him added inspiration, and to Vogue Thailand editor Kullawit “Ford” Laosuksri, who trained with him 28 years ago. Ford went on to a fashion institute in France and then joined the Thai edition of Elle , eventually becoming its editor and, in 1999, initiating Elle Fashion Week.

The annual event united Thai fashion, Somchai says, and kept him on the runway for 15 years, despite constant fretting about competition from the younger generation. It proved to him, he says, “that I can survive”.

As lovingly documented in the photos and videos he posts, they do all the typical stuff – lie around luxuriously, get stuck in a tree, annoy the birds – but, amazingly enough, they also get in a boat and go fishing.

Wason, who lives on a bank of the Tapi River in southern Surat Thani, is a hobbyist fisherman. Most mornings he poles his small sampan into the current and casts out a net, then returns home to give the fish plenty of time to make their fateful decision.

Then, when the evening comes, it’s showtime.

Wason’s two ginger Persian cats, Thong Phap and Thong Muan, jump in the boat as he heads out to see what’s on the menu as the catch of the day. Sometimes the whole gang comes along. When the net’s hauled in and there’s a fish flopping around, everybody gets very excited. The cats, of course, have to be physically restrained from having a sashimi dinner on the spot.

Wason’s images of these antics are a huge hit online, every post drawing dozens of comments along the lines of “Happy cat!” and “Wish my cat would do that!” Cats are huge on the Web anyway, of course. YouTube would be half its size if it weren’t for cute cat videos. Feline voyeurism deals mainly in footage of cats falling into full bathtubs and otherwise being uncharacteristically clumsy, but there’s nothing that’s not to love.

A Bangkok woman identifying herself as Bao has had huge success in the furry end of the publicity business. She has Facebook page called “Kingdom of Tigers” that’s accumulated more than three million “likes”, as well as an Instagram feed, has written two books about her cats and earns a lot of money attending pet events.

Our inner cynic wonders if her own pets might be getting a little stressed-out by all the attention and public activity. For his part, fisherman Wason has been on Thai Rath TV due to his popularity on the social media, but he’s not hoping his pals will become the next viral superstars like Grumpy Cat or Lil Bub. At most he’s out to convince people that cats make good fishing partners.

Chinese fishermen train cormorant birds to dive in the water and catch fish for them (with a rope around their neck to stop them swallowing the fish). Well, you’re not going to get the average cat to jump in the river for you, no matter how you tie the rope. Thong Phap and Thong Muan are special, however.

“Cats always know where the fish are,” Wason says. “When they leap onto the gunwale, that’s the tip-off that there are fish nearby waiting to be caught.”

DOMINATING THE CHATTER on the social media last week were raves and rants about a raft of fairly sexy photos of 30 Thai actresses taking a walk on the wild side, as it were. Fashion photographer Tada “Gorge” Varich took the pictures and shared them on Instagram.

He had ladies including Araya “Chompoo” Hargate, Pachrapa “Um” Chaichua, Davika “Mai” Hoorne, Cris Horwang, Rasri “Margie” Balenciaga, Patcharasri “Kalamare” Benjamas and Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund out in the woods showing some skin. Ensuring their modesty was a variety of animal skins, some eagle feathers and the judicious placement of scalp hair.

Gorge and Talent 1 Publishing launched his “Pure Photobook: Unseen Art of Beauties” last Thursday at CentralWorld, with a portion of sales revenue going to the Foundation for the Blind and homes hosting mentally handicapped children.

Gorge explained that his job is all about shooting models wearing fancy clothes, and basically he’s fed up with it. Time to get the kit off, he decided.

“I wanted to try something new. I wanted to reveal the real beauty of women, without any clothes. And since I often walk in the forest, I decided this collection would portray the beauty of both nature and women.”

It’s doubtful that the eagle whose feathers partially cover Chompoo found the idea particularly beautiful, whereas the cat that Margie’s cuddling probably had no objections. Mai finds her own hair ample to mollify the censors – and Um too, although her locks aren’t ample enough to completely shield her breasts.

At first glance they all appear to be nude, but close scrutiny of the photos by a crack team of lusty young men determined that they’re not, and Gorge admits it. The models wore shorts and “strips of cloth on top”, he said, and then computer retouching took care of the rest. Frankly he’d love to have had all the girls in their birthday suits, but, as he said, if he “hadn’t protected their dignity, who would have agreed to pose?”

It’s a bit of a surprise seeing “young and innocent” Yaya among the models unveiling flesh. “I’m not naked!” she points out defensively. “I wore a top and just posed sexily. I was amazed when Phi Gorge sent me the retouched photo to approve and I looked naked, but it’s very beautiful. And I’m happy to be helping this charity project.”

Kalamare pretty much lets it all hang out in her pose sitting on a rock, albeit with legs crossed legs and hands handling the rest of the cover-up. Cris seduces a friendly tree into lending her a couple of branches. Both she and the tree look stunning.

The mighty social media guaranteed a big turnout for Gorge’s exhibition at CentralWorld, which ended on Sunday. If you missed it, you’re just going to have to buy the book – it’s at every Nai In bookshop and can be ordered from http://www.NaiIn.com.

 

Thailand has thus become the latest battlefield in the war over fan fiction (“fanfic” for short), which is based on original material but usually heedless of copyright.

Having your fans generate their own work based on your TV series, movie, novel or manga does appeal to some writers. JK Rowling says she’s “flattered” when her fans write stories featuring her Harry Potter characters. Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight books that have been turned into blockbuster films, even has links on her website to fan-fiction sites full of her sparkly vampire and werewolf heroes.

On the other hand, Anne Rice – who’s done a nice trade in ghouls herself – has worked hard to block fans from running off with her “Interview with a Vampire” and its sequels. And National Artist Chatchai Visessuwanpoom, better known as Phanom Thian, is on her side.

Appalled to find all sorts of unauthorised reincarnations of “Petch Pra Uma” online, he recently demanded that they be deleted, or else those writing them and hosting them would face legal action. Most of the Web boards where the jungle fanfic is hosted quickly obliged, and Phanom Thian posted a message of gratitude. “I don’t know whether they’ll come back or not,” he added, “but if they do, I will definitely sue.

“If somebody wants to write a sequel to my book, which is a ‘complete’ novel, I think they have to explain why. I’ve written a story that’s complete in itself, so how could they write a sequel? If they insist on doing it, the next question is ‘Would it be just as I would have written it?’”

A sequel written in someone else’s hand would only undermine the value of the original, Phanom Thian said. And he’s not happy that the fanfic writers have altered his characters, “which spoils my book. Some of their characters are even having sex all the time, which ruins the original story.”

He has his points, but some of the fans think he’s being ungenerous. Here’s a typical reaction on Pantip.com: “I’m upset with the writer. I think he’s too narrow-minded. Fanfic brings more readers to his novel.” Another commentator doubted that “Petch Pra Uma” would still be as popular if it weren’t for the fanfic maintaining public interest. “Kids these days barely even know about the novel!”

Those who do know “Petch Pra Uma” almost by heart came to the author’s defence. Phanom Thian “has no need to rely on fanfic forever”, someone said. “The ‘Petch Pra Uma’ series are classics. I read them 10 years ago and I still enjoy rereading them. It’s the kind of novel that’s passed down from generation to generation, from parents to their children. Fanfic has nothing to do with its popularity.”

Another fan better attuned to the law chimed in: “Fanfic is an infringement on rights, so it’s wrong from the start. If the copyright holder says he doesn’t want fans using his characters, we should respect that. It’s very reasonable, so please stop whining that the writer is being narrow-minded!”

 

AFTER 21 YEARS as an actor, Thanakorn “Au” Poshyananda has found the pinnacle of his career – not in a leading role but as the father of the hero – in a remake of “Tam Rak Khuen Jai”. Interestingly enough, Au played the lead in the original series 18 years ago.

Now in his 40s, Au brings a great deal of charm to the character, sparking renewed interest in his personal like. So okay – he runs a Japanese-food restaurant with a pal, he doubles as staff photographer on the TV show, and he even creates the title credits.

Au tells Dichan magazine that he long wanted to work behind the camera and, after appearing in a few series, he took a film production course overseas. Producer Yuwadee Thaihirun kidded him about spending a fortune doing that when he could have learned everything he needed to know right on the set here at home.

Au still hasn’t decided which role on the crew he prefers, but he enjoys editing and photography. In fact he’s good enough with a still camera that he’s planning a solo exhibition in Ratchaburi, his home province. Some of the shots will be from the set of “Tam Rak Khuen Jai” and others from his travels.

Not by Baitoey

It’s not that sexy luk thung singer Baitoey R Siam has delusions of grandeur. She just likes to pretend she’s living “la vida expensiva”. Pardon our Spanish, but she of the extremely short shorts has been making stuff up again online.

Instagram is Baitoey’s sharing platform of choice and, after a trip to Hokkaido, Japan, that’s where she posted a photo of what she called the Otaru Music Box Museum. All well and good until a fellow Instagrammer named “travelinglens” left this comment: “Hi. This is my photo and telling @Baitoeyrsiam to give credit.” Mr travelinglens had taken the picture. Baitoey just “borrowed” it.

One other thing: It wasn’t a picture of the music-box museum in Japan. It was the famous Bow Bridge in New York’s Central Park – covered in snow, so at least the season was right.

Ignoring the misidentification for the moment, Baitoey “explained” that everybody does this on Instagram – posting other people’s images they like. She does it to beautify her stream and “inspire” her followers and she lacks the skills to produce her own photos. From now on, though, she promises, she’ll be more careful about crediting sources.

This episode recalls another one a couple of years ago when Baitoey was posting pictures of luxurious hotel suites where she’d ostensibly stayed. They were just scalped from the Net too. And there were shots of her holding expensive handbags. One was a posh Yves St-Laurent job she appeared to have just bought at a mall. But according to an eyewitness to the moment of “purchase”, Baitoey had merely asked permission to pose for a picture with the bag – and never did but it.

It’s all rather amusing, but also confounding. Baitoey can afford this stuff – and photography lessons too – so why is she always pretending?

 

But in this case the outfits were pretty chic – designed by Kris Yensudchai of the Mae Fah Lunag Foundation – and the setting certainly was hilly. They were at the Anantara Resort in Chiang Rai on Saturday for a “Fashion Destination 2016” party hosted by L’Officiel magazine’s Thai edition.

More than 100 celebrities travelled north for the bash, at which James served as emcee, and many of them were attired in gear from Kris’ new “Savage Guardian” collection.

Yaya looked truly sophisticated wearing a haute couture ensemble on the catwalk while folks dined al fresco.

Kris has been working with the foundation for 14 years, dreaming up stylish new looks for the traditional clothing and woven patterns of the ethnic tribal people. He’s used fabrics entirely made by hand (and looms) at the foundation’s Doi Tung project in the far northern province.

The name “savage guardian” is an homage of sorts to the rugged people of the mountains and forests, though it’s hard to imagine the women in the mini-dresses Kris has come up with. He’s covered that bit of immodesty with jackets and topped the look with some impressive headgear.

His quilted tunic dresses carry various woven and stitched patterns, long a mainstay of the Mae Fah Luang fashion lines but now modernised in terms of texture and volume. Enhancing the traditional, Kris has utilised the latest technology, and some of the fabrics mingle natural and synthetic fibres.

Asked to explain himself, Kris said something about mysterious forest guardians, “the complexity of nature” and “optical art”. “We used more modern techniques like silkscreen, but we finished the clothes with hand-painting and embroidery, which adds value to the hand-crafting process,” he said.

Kris has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from a school in San Diego, California, and got his master’s in fashion design at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy. Now he’s a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, from which also has a doctorate in fine and applied arts.

He’s worked at the renowned fashion houses Prada and Isabelle Marant, and it shows in his collections, which are full of creativity, involving innovative material and techniques applied by hand. His work has been hailed as a form of art, in fact, and is often seen on international runways. Last year he took part in Designers Days Paris.

Among the awards both Kris has won at home and abroad was Designer of the Year from Silpakorn University, also last year, and the bronze medal at the Designer for Asia Awards in Hong Kong in 2008.

Another fashion guru, Araya “Art” Intra, did the styling for the parade of celebrity savages on Saturday night, adding a blast of colour to Kris’ show. The evening ended up a great success, with orders placed for more than half the items in the collection. For her part, Cris Horwang went home with three outfits!