Premiering last September at the Toronto Film Festival and going on release in the US earlier this month, “Teen Spirit” will appeal to any young person who dreams of making it in the cut-throat music industry.

It tells the story of Violet Valenski (Elle Fanning), a young Polish immigrant living with her mother on the Isle of Wight – a small island off the coast of England – who seizes on an opportunity to audition for a local singing competition with the help of an unlikely mentor (Zlatko Buric).

Director Max Minghella talks about the inspiration behind the film, working with Fanning and why he chose “Teen Spirit” for his debut feature.

Can you explain more about the film?

It’s really about a young girl who embarks on a journey to pursue her dream with the help of an unlikely mentor. While there is this music contest in the backdrop, the film is very much about the relationship between these two characters and how they affect one another. This is not a traditional underdog story. Violet is a strong performer from the outset but she is inhibited by personal demons that limit her from truly expressing herself. The contest ultimately becomes a test of her character as much as her talent.

How was it working with Elle Fanning and why is she the perfect choice to play Violet?

Elle and Violet lined up in the right moment. There were wonderful and unplanned parallels between her and this character that elevated what was on the page. It was clear from our first meeting that she had a deep understanding of the script and how to enhance it. She is clearly an extraordinary actor but she is also a consummate professional and those things are equally important. This was not an easy shoot and she really went above and beyond to make sure she was prepared every day on set.

Elle has an incredible voice, how impressed have you been with her performance?

We knew when we hired Elle that she had an extraordinary singing voice that hadn’t really been explored yet, at least on film, and she was very keen and excited to do that. That said, as good as she was when she started, she did so much preparation for this movie, not only with the Polish and the choreography, but really on stretching her vocal ability.

Following on from that, can you introduce us to Marius de Vries’s role with Elle and her preparations?

Our composer and music producer, is a hero of mine and that’s really been special for me and for Elle as well. They have a really trusting and respectful relationship and it actually reflects the relationship between Vlad and Violet in the film.

Can you introduce us to the character Vlad and what does Zlatko bring to the role?

Well… the role of Vlad was written for Zlatko dating back to the first draft of the script. He was the one and only actor that I wanted to play this part. He is so much himself, he has such a huge heart, he’s incapable of a lie, he feels very authentic and it felt like a way to ground the story but also sort of guarantee the audience’s empathy for this person.

It’s a fantastic soundtrack. Can you talk through some of the musical numbers?

It was important that each musical sequence would drive the story forward and actually give insight into Violet’s internal life. So that each song had an emotional responsibility as well as a narrative one.

With the strong exception of “Tattooed Heart”, every track that was specified in the script appears in the finished film, which is still unbelievable to me. That’s all because of Steve Gizicki, our music supervisor who made miracles happen.

On paper it’s an ambitious project for your feature debut. Have you faced many challenges?

I have faced a lot of challenges but I’ve also faced a bizarre amount of luck. Every step of the way we’ve really been blessed with the people who have decided to work on this film and support it. I never thought this movie was going to happen. The first draft of the script was written in 2009. We’re now in 2018 so it has been a long journey. It’s also an absolute reflection of the film I originally set out to make and that’s largely because of Fred Berger. He receives a sole producer credit and there is a reason for that. This was a movie everyone thought would be impossible and he quite literally willed it into fruition. He also held my hand every step of the way. Both as a supporter and devil’s advocate. I owe him a huge amount.

Fans might be interested in the facts and figures that has turned the series into one of the globe’s greatest hits.

“Game of Thrones” first aired on April 17, 2011 and is broadcast in 207 countries and territories and simulcast in 194 countries and territories.

US viewership for each season was 9.3 million for season one, 11.6 million for season two, 14.4 million for season three, 19.1 million for season four, 20.2 million for season five, 25.7 million for season six and 32.8 for season seven.

With well over 100 licensees globally, “Game of Thrones” is most-licensed programme in HBO history.

Over the course of its eight seasons, “Game of Thrones” has filmed in 10 countries, namely Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Malta, Spain, Croatia, Iceland, United States, Canada and Scotland. There have been 50 locations in Ireland – 49 in Northern Ireland and one in the Republic of Ireland.

Belfast is home to Titanic Studios, which has six shooting stages that housed the interiors of Winterfell, Castle Black, High Hall of the Eyrie, the Sky Cells in the Eyrie, the Hall of Faces, the House of Black and White, the Great Sept of Baelor, the Great Pyramid of Meereen Throne Room and the iconic King’s Landing Throne Room.

The series has used 12,986 extras in Northern Ireland alone and 2,000 Northern Ireland crewmembers across the series’ eight seasons.

Overall, the show totalled 105,846 days for extras across all seasons and countries.

The series has utilised a total of 40 VFX houses in 13 countries, namely the US, Canada, the UK, Northern Ireland, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, China, France, Sweden and India. There were 13,250 VFX shots in the first seven seasons of the series.

Weeks of post-production per season were 17 weeks for season one, 21 weeks for season two, 20 weeks for season three, 21 weeks for season four, 22 weeks for season five, 24 weeks for season six, 30 weeks for season seven and 42 weeks for season eight.

During all eight seasons, and specific to production in Northern Ireland, 1,700 kg of rubber and 1.5 tons of metal were used for armoury, with 1,300 shields created.

Additionally, production used 52,000 bags of paper snow, 163 tons of propane, 3,000 pyrotechnic effects, 15,000 litres of artificial blood; 20,907 candles, 25 miles of rope; 7,000 metres of waxed cotton fabric to make more than 330 tents, and 80 kilometres of fabric for costumes. The construction department used: 1,200 km s of repurposed timber, 60,000 sheets of plywood, 20,000,000 screws and bolts, 65,000 bags of plaster, 4,996 litres of wood glue, 1,200 blocks of polystyrene, 1,000 sheets of fire board, more than 1,600 km of cable, and 120 semitruck loads of reclaimed beams from warehouses and barns from all over Europe.

Since season four, the SFX teams utilised 11,077 kg of silicone (for prosthetics) and 499 kg of Coffee Mate (for pyrotechnics). The longest prosthetics applications were for the Children of the Forest and the Mountain, which took seven hours.

Over the course of eight seasons, “Game of Thrones” has used 12,137 wigs and hairpieces. Deanerys’ wig colour and style are the result of more than two months of testing and seven prototypes.

Also over the eight seasons, 19,722 travel documents have been issued, 68,143 hotel rooms booked, 1,749 call sheets issued and 243 shooting schedules issued over the eight seasons.

Primary unit photographer Helen Sloan has taken 1.4 million stills over all seasons.

Over the first seven seasons, “Game of Thrones” received: a total of 132 Emmy nominations and 47 wins; seven Golden Globe nominations and one win; 18 SAG Award nominations and seven wins; 17 Critics’ Choice Award nominations and one win; and seven AFI award wins.

The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones”, which filmed in Northern Ireland, Spain, Iceland and Canada, is now available on HBO and is also available on HBO GO via AIS Play and AIS Playbox.

 Just as in Japan, spring in Seoul brings residents out in their masses to enjoy the cherry blossoms, with Yeouido Park on Yeouido island in the middle of the Han river a popular spot to watch as nature turns the trees the palest pink.

And what better ambience to introduce a light-hearted story about young lovers? That’s exactly what Netflix chose to do for the launch of its second original Korean series “My First First Love”, holding the press conference at the Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeouido and decorating the stage with cherry blossoms as the backdrop for the five young cast members and their director, Oh Jin-suk.

Loosely based on a web series by Jung Hyun-jung and Kim Ran, who wrote the script for the series, “My First” depicts the daily lives of a group of friends sharing a house owned by college student Tae-o (Jisoo). Tae-o moves into the house that his grandfather left him in his will only to have his friends appear one by one at the front door, each asking for a place to stay, albeit for different reasons. His long-time friend Song-i (Jung Chae-yeon) has just lost her home because of her mother’s debts, the daughter of his father’s friend Garin (Choi Ri) has run away from home, and his high school friend Hun (Kang Tae-oh) has been kicked out of the family nest for pursuing a career as a musical actor rather than studying at school. Tae-o then finds out that Song-I is dating his best friend in college Do-hyeon (Jin-young) and begins to feel uncomfortable even though Song-I is like family and there has never been any romantic feelings between them.

The cast is made up of up-and-coming actors with the odd K-pop idol thrown in for good measure. Actor Ji-soo is well known for his roles in TV series “Doctors” and the film “One Way Trip”. Jung Chae-yeon, a member of girl band DIA, shot to stardom in the TV show “Produce 101”, Jin-young is from boy band B1A4 while Choi Ri and Kang Tae-oh have had minor roles in both series and movies.

“This is a story about the young adulthood. This is about the most beautiful time that is shared with the people who mean most to you in life,” says director Oh, who has worked on such TV series as “Lover in Paris” and “Lover In Prague” and also directed the action thriller “Yong Pal”.

Director Oh Jin-suk/Netflix Photo

The story reminds the director of his life as a college student who would be kept awake at night by the most trivial of issues.

“I can’t help but laugh about it when I look back. There were some romances and worries about what I should do with my life. We all go through that phase because everything’s a first for us. Back then I was full of passion but also worried about my career. So while I don’t think viewers who are the same age as the cast will laugh a lot, they will watch the series with a smile of recognition on their faces.”

Following on from the zombie hit “Kingdom”, the new coming-of-age drama is among Netflix’s string of series targeting young adult viewers. Others include the dark romantic thriller “You”, “Riverdale” or “The End of the F***ing World”. In some ways, “My First” brings to mind the 1990s hit series “Friends”. And unlike other Korean dramas for that age group where the focus is on the young people involved and the family values that kids are expected to follow, both in terms of education and their personal lives, it looks at young people living independently as they study, hang out with friends and pursue their dreams.

The four young people live together in the same house. From left Garin (Choi Ri), SongI, Hun (Kang Taeo) and Taeo./Netflix Photo

“This kind of story will resonate with young adults anywhere in the world because we experience the same kind of highs and lows. It also shows how 20-somethings in South Korea are living,” says the actor Jisoo.

“The lives of young adults is a common theme and I don’t think this series is particularly different from all the others. What I wanted to do, and the cast agreed, was to show young adults the way they are. Watch them and if it’s fun then we can have a smile on our faces and if we think it’s sad, maybe we will find it encouraging that other people are having the same doubts. We’re not artificially adding encouragement. Because it’s showing on the global platform, I want to show the lifestyles of young people in Korea. I’ve tried to add all these colours to the series and to use hip locations such as Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong. I really want to show the coming-of-age aspect of the show. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they become famous or important but I want to show them growing even a little,” the director says.

The life of young adults in the story is not as dramatised as most of us have seen in other TV series, but it does, as Oh says, portray the daily life of young people before they transition to a professional working life. However, despite being the same age, the actors playing the characters do not share the same sort of life – they are already well into the music or acting careers.

But they all say that’s not relevant to their portrayals. “We’ve been through all of that too and we know the way they feel. I found it easy to relate to my character,” says actor/singer Jin-young.

Taeo’s friend Doh-yeon (Jinyoung) has a crush on Song-i and keeps it secret from Taeo, though the latter finds out and feels uncomfortable about their relationship.

And while the love triangle between Tae-o, Song-i and Do-hyeon is at the core of the story romance, the characters of Garin and Hun spice up the denouement with their comical acting as they reflect on how young people reject their parents’ plans for them and escape from their comfort zone to pursue their dreams.

Actor Kang Tae-oh adds that the drama is not just about love but about coming of age. “These young adults are starting to live as independent people for the first time and are experiencing love and dreams, everything in fact, for the first time. They are making mistakes and they get hurt along the way but through that pain eventually become mature people,” he says.

The director says he’s not feeling any pressure following the huge success of “Kingdom”.

“The content is completely different,” he points out. “I joke that this show can also be a fantasy in a way because these days we have so many people living, eating and drinking alone so watching friends live as housemates could actually come across as a fantasy for some.”

“My First First Love” is divided into two seasons each with eight episodes. All 16 episodes have been shot and the first season is already showing on Netflix.

 The sensorial experience connects people to nature and one another through immersive storytelling that blends cutting-edge AR technology with stunning 4K video footage from “Our Planet”, a new Netflix original documentary series voiced by world-renowned naturalist, Sir David Attenborough.

“‘Our Planet’ is the definitive nature documentary event of our time and Netflix’s most ambitious documentary project to date. We are proud to bring great and vital content like this to millions of people worldwide, informing and inspiring them towards taking action for the greater good. With “REWILD Our Planet”, we are taking this one step further by showing how stories can come to life in a way that spurs us all to help improve our environment. We couldn’t be more delighted to do this in concert with amazing partners like WWF, Google, PHORIA and ArtScience Museum of Singapore,” says Jessica Lee, vice president of Communications for Netflix.

“REWILD Our Planet” is built around four natural landscapes representing the last wilderness places on Earth, from the forests of Borneo and India to the oceans of Asia, grasslands of Mongolia and the frozen worlds of the Arctic.

“REWILD Our Planet is an immersive and interactive exhibition that shows how climate change impacts all living creatures. It uses cutting edge technology to transport visitors to some of the world’s most jaw-dropping landscapes. ‘REWILD Our Planet’ follows up on what we did together with WWF and Google with ‘Into the Wild’, our augmented reality experience about rainforests in Southeast Asia. The users of that project have so far planted over 10,000 trees in Sumatra. ‘REWILD Our Planet’ is even more ambitious. It combines art and technology to encourage all of us to play an active role in the conservation of our world,” adds Honor Harger, executive director of the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

Combining spectacular IMAX-style projections with spatial soundscapes and AR, the experience unfolds through the lens of the Google Pixel 3, where groups of participants can work together to build natural landscapes in 3D. They will unlock global weather patterns and magical animal encounters, ending with a deeper understanding of shared solutions and a meaningful pledge to act and help bring nature back.

Beyond showcasing the breathtaking diversity of our planet, the experience is also intended to drive important conservation conversations, highlighting the fragility of the planet and the negative impacts of humankind.

It shows a path forward by pointing to solutions, so participants come away understanding not just the threats that face our planet, but also what must be done collectively, ensuring people and nature can thrive alongside each other.

The experience uses footage from “Our Planet”, an eight-part series that showcases the planet’s most precious species and fragile habitats, revealing amazing sights on Earth in ways they have never been seen using the latest in filming technology.

The ambitious project was filmed in 50 countries across all the continents of the world, with over 600 members of crew capturing over 3,500 filming days.

Footage from “Our Planet” was then integrated with Google’s ARCore technology – an Android Software Development Kit (SDK) that works with Java and Unity and Unreal, and includes Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that bring AR to mobile devices without requiring any special hardware. PHORIA’s unique digital twin system which, once activated with Google’s ARCore, enables the 2D content to break free from the screen and seamlessly flow into the space around users.

 Not available for sale, the four pairs of custom-designed Game of Thrones x SBTG sneakers will be on display from today (April 17) to April 30 at the Limited Edt Chamber store in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. “Game of Thrones” fans and avid sneakerheads in Asia can stand a chance to win a pair of these coveted kicks through a contest on this dedicated microsite. The contest ends on April 25.

Taking inspiration from the Emmy-winning fantasy hit-series, the artist behind the SBTG label, Mark Ong, skilfully combines his signature military-inspired designs and intricate detailing with iconic “Game Of Thrones” themes onto four pairs of sneakers.

Three pairs are designed with familiar colours, motifs and quotes from House Targaryen, House Stark and House Lannister while the fourth pair is given an icy transformation by the Night King and his White Walkers. Each pair of customised sneakers is embedded with Near-Field Communication (NFC) chips powered by VeChain, a public blockchain platform that allows any potential collector the ability to verify the authenticity of each pair through VeChainThor blockchain. The NFC chips also contain exclusive behind-the-scenes videos of each sneaker design, which can be played and viewed by anyone using the Vechain mobile app.

Mark Ong, aka Mr Sabotage, is a sneaker artist and streetwear designer who has achieved cult status with a dedicated following of sneaker collectors both locally and abroad. Ong’s shoe customisations and streetwear designs are inspired by punk-rock and skateboarding culture. In 2002, he sold his first pair of customised Nikes online, which kick-started his journey as a pioneer in the field of sneaker design. Since then, Mark now runs his home-grown label – SBTG (short for ‘Sabotage’) with his wife and partner Sue-Anne Lim, aka Mrs Sabotage, both catering to custom-designed sneakers and apparel. Among their celebrity customers are basketball players Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry and nu-metal group, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda.

Magdalene Ew, Head of Marketing, Creative and Content at HBO Asia, says, “Due to its mass appeal, “Game Of Thrones” has left a significant imprint not only in the entertainment scene but also on pop culture over the past decade. As we seek to extend the excitement around the season finale, we are pleased to tap the talent of a Singapore sneaker artist and streetwear designer, Mark Ong, to create these bespoke “Game Of Thrones” sneakers. Through our collaboration with SBTG, we hope to bring together two distinct cultures – pop and street culture – for loyal fans of the show. This is what HBO Asia will do for the throne.”

Ong adds: “As fans of the series, it was a no-brainer to take this project on as it allows us to have fun working as a team.” He further adds, “Reading the brief and knowing that we will be creating individual designs for four different houses got me really excited.”

Since launching in Spain four years ago, Netflix has invested heavily in local stories created by local talent and produced locally. It has now added added another two new original shows – “El inocente” and “El crimen del siglo” -– to its 2019 and 2020 slate that includes series such as “La casa de papel Part 3”, “Alta Mar”, “Las chicas del cable Season 4”, “Paquita Salas Season 3” and Elite Season 2.

In 2018, more than 13,000 cast, crew and extras have worked on Netflix originals This year, that number is set to increase to 25,000 – including “La casa de papel” and “Las chicas del cable”, both of which have been international hits.

“Our aim is to be part of the Spanish creative ecosystem. We are investing for the long term, We are here to stay and to participate”, said Reed Hastings during the presentation. “It’s been amazing to see Spanish shows like ‘Elite’ and ‘La casa de papel’ win the hearts of fans not just in Spain, but globally. This is our first European production hub and we’re excited about the great stories that will be produced here in Spain, and watched by the world.”

“El Inocente” is an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s bestseller, the 8-episode series created by Oriol Paulo. One night, nine years ago, Mateo innocently interceded in a fight and ended up becoming a murderer. Now he’s an ex-convict who takes nothing for granted. His wife, Olivia, is pregnant, and both are about to get the house of their dreams. But a shocking and inexplicable call from Olivia’s cell phone again destroys Mateo’s life for the second time.

“Los Favoritos de Midas” is a 6-episode series of a free adaptation based on the short story by Jack London, published in 1901. The story depicts Victor, a rich businessman, who is being blackmailed in a strange way: a mysterious organisation threatens to kill a person randomly on the date they indicate, and will continue to kill other victims periodically unless they get something from him.

The launch saw Reed Hastings’ Francisco Ramos and Maria Ferreras hosting writer and creator Alex Pina, executive producers Teresa Fernandez-Valdes and Belen Atienza, writer, director and president of the Film Academy Mariano Barroso and actor Alvaro Morte for a discussion about creativity and production in Spain.

“Traditionally, Spanish fiction has always been much more watched in Spain than American fiction, now I believe that the challenge ahead is to make the leap to other markets. With “La casa de papel”, we are experiencing success in many countries with cultures very different from our own, such as Saudi Arabia, which is incredible,” Pina said.

Atienza, executive producer of “El Inocente” and “Alma” said: “Our engine are the stories, I find it very exciting that cultures so different feel close to our characters. I have read many times that the consumption of fiction contributes to creating better human beings because it helps us to travel with other characters, to put ourselves in their place and to understand other kinds of conflicts”.

Barroso, director of “Criminal” said: “On the debate between film and television and the distribution windows, I think that we should work hand-in-hand with the Television Academy to support this very good moment for our industry, in which there is room to work with all market players and explore all kinds of exhibition formats.

“During the industry crisis, we creators couldn’t think of stories that we already knew couldn’t be produced for budget reasons. Now we see that we can have the resources to dream and develop more ambitious projects,” added Fernandez-Valdes, co-creator of “Las chicas del cable” and “Alta Mar”.

“We are very proud of the ongoing productions we currently have, the ones we are developing and the new ones that we have announced today. Stories in Spanish for Spain, Latin America and the rest of the world. Bringing our unique and personal stories of diverse genres and formats to every corner represents a great opportunity for our creative community.”

Even before Thai director Chartchai Ketnust put his efforts into the joint ThaiMyanmar project “From Bangkok to Mandalay”, he was thinking about making a horror flick. He even had a name for it – “Burmese Night” – and it was to be centred on the supernatural traditions of Thailand’s Western neighbours.

Now he is bringing that dream to life with the release in Thailand today of the Myanmar language film “The Only Mom”.

Already a blockbuster in Myanmar, taking around MMK1.5 billion (about Bt48 million), it is showing at the SF Cinema multiplex chain nationwide.

“In fact I was offered the chance to make a horror film before ‘From Bangkok to Mandalay’ but I convinced the producers that it would be better to start with a romantic drama,” he says.

Photographer (Daung), right, prepares a child before capturing her on a wet colloid plate.

For his previous outing, the director joined up with two Myanmar sisters who had won scholarships to study music and science at Mahidol University. They were unable to speak Thai and thus the working process took place in broken English. The script was translated into the local language a few weeks before shooting began.

“I can say about 10 Myanmar words. But language is not a barrier as we can understand each other through our body language. I also know much more about the Myanmar people and their culture. So when I’m directing, I can see through their body language whether they are doing what I want,” he explains.

Since “From Bangkok to Mandalay”, Chartchai has worked on such projects as the documentary “Yodia Thee Khid (Mai) Thueng”, which traces the fate of the Siamese captured by the Burmese army after the fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom, and another documentary exploring a Mae Fah Luang Foundation project designed to assist people in Myanmar’s central region. That took him to Yenanchaung, an arid area in Magway Division, about two hours from Mandalay and 10 hours from Yangon. It was here that General Aung San studied as a youngster. And so Yenanchaung was chosen as the main location of the film.

“That area is called the dry land and produces most of the oil and natural gas in Myanmar. I like the vast landscape, which is like a desert in the hot season but fills with water during the rainy season,” says the director.

Ang (Nine Nine) searches for the mystery behind the old photograph in his new home.

“The Only Mom” tells the story of married couple Ang and May (Nine Nine and Wutt Hmone Shwe Yee) whose daughter (Pyae Pyae) has an aggressive behaviour problem. The child is also far closer to her father than her mother. The family decides to move from Yangon to Yenanchaung in the hope it will help their daughter. Once there, they take up residence in a new colonialstyle house full of old photographs taken by the late owner, a professional lensman played by Daung. The move seems to suit the child although she starts sleeping during the day and remaining awake at night but her behaviour stabilises and she becomes closer to her mother. May is happy that her daughter is no longer turning her back on her but before long, strange things happen that appear to be related to the old photographs and so Ang starts searching for the truth before they lose their daughter for good.

The idea for the setting arose when Chartchai saw a photograph of Aung San, the late father of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, in every house he visited and wondered why the military regime tolerated this practice.

Then he learned about Nat, as the spirits of those who die unnaturally are known in Myanmar. A Nat is an aggressive spirit but one that is worshipped in the country. Thais will know the most famous of the spirits, Nat Boboyee, as Thep Than Jai Nat, who is said to grant you one wish instantly.

Myanmar has 37 royal Nat that can be monarchs, soldiers or alchemists as well as another group known as outlaw Nats. The Nat in “The Only Mom” is Ameh Jum, which is related to the mother element.

Real life Nat Kadaw U Hla Aye plays as Nat Kadaw but sadly died before the film was released.

Nat is the spirit of a person who was respected and powerful while he or she was alive but was killed in a conflict with an enemy. They are still respected once they become Nat and the powerful individuals involved in their deaths allow this as it doesn’t affect their power.

“I found that management of power interesting. However it’s from my own perspective, it is not grounded on any theory,” Chartchai says.

The Nat communicates with people through Nat Kadaw, literally “the Nat’s wife”. Similar to a medium in the Thai culture, Nat Kadaw is possessed by the Nat’s spirit though in Myanmar, she is a man dressed in a traditional female costume and dances during her possession. Men who are Nat Kadaw can be either straight or transsexual. In Myanmar, the Nat Kadaw is highly respected and is invited as a honoured guest for special occasions like the blessing of a new home or the opening the new company.

In the movie, a Nat Kadaw helps the couple to find their missing daughter and is played by a real Nat Kadaw, U Hla Aye. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack after completing his scenes.

Director Chartchai Ketnust, left, with U Hla Aye on the set.

The director also adds photography to the story, choosing the wet collodion process, which was popular in the 19th century and was often used when young children or infants died in the home to make them look like live subjects. Sometimes known as postmortem photographs, they served as memories of the deceased. Both the director and his cinematographer Teerawat Rujintham are interested in the old technology in which the photograph is printed on glass.

“It was popular in the west so I guessed it would be in Burma also,” he says.

Actress Wutt, who starred in “From Bangkok to Mandalay”, is convincing as the mother rejected by her daughter yet still desperate to protect her.

With the exception of Chartchai, Teerawat and acting coach Boonsong Nakphu, the entire crew is from Myanmar. The post-production work, however, was completed in Thailand.

Chartchai’s is not anticipating a major turnout in Thailand for his film so he has decided against the wide release he chose for “From Bangkok to Myanmar”.

“What I learned from ‘From Bangkok to Myanmar’ is that although there are millions of Myanmar nationals in Thailand, they don’t go and watch movies in the cinema. However, I want to show the movie to a Thai audience and hope it will teach them something about their Western neighbour.

“It is perhaps boasting on my part to say that ‘From Bangkok to Mandalay’ opened a new chapter for filmmaking in Myanmar, but it’s true. The movie opened the door to new generation directors to make their films and brought in new investors too. They are working hard to upgrade Myanmar movies so they can stand side by side with international films,” he says.

But even though the movie industry is booming, the movie theatre business is not. “They are worried about streaming though it has yet to come to the country,” he explains.

“I would like to thank Myanmar for giving me the opportunity to do what I love, which I still don’t have in my own country. And I am also grateful to the Myanmar audience for welcoming my work and giving me the courage to do another project,” he says.

He adds that he also prefers the way the movie theatre business is handled in Myanmar, explaining that it is far more transparent that the Thai system. There, the cash from ticket sales is shown on every theatre’s box office monitors and the income is shared with the producer every Friday rather than waiting for the film’s run to end.

Chartchai also admits to being in love with the Myanmar way of life. “It’s do different from the way Thailand is these days. There, we still see a flask with a glass in front of a house for passersby to drink. We see people laughing or crying in the cinema like in the old days. The people are humble and the landscape is magnificent. It’s an inspiring place to make a movie,” he says.

His next project is a TV series based on Thai-Myanmar history and starring Daung as the protagonist.