Bangkok International Film Festival 2008

The Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok since 2002. Since 2003, the festival has been organized and principally sponsored by the Thai government via the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

As Jareuk Kaljareuk, the Festival Director, explains, “This year, the festival will showcase more than a hundred feature and short films, representing the works of filmmakers from Thailand, the ASEAN region, and a selection of some of the most exciting and innovative films from around the world.

The Golden Kinnaree Awards for the two competitive sections are judged by a distinguished international jury.

And there will be a number of special events including panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, exhibitions etc.”

The Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 will he held at SF World Cinema, Central World and Pullman Hotel Bangkok, from September 23rd until September 30th.

Here is a quick agenda:
September 23rd: Opening Reception at SF World Cinema and CentralWorld
September 26th: Red Carpet and Gala Screening at SF World Cinema and CentralWorld
September 28th: Kinnaree Award Ceremony at Pullman Hotel
September 30th: Closing Ceremony at SF World Cinema and CentralWorld
September 27th to 29th: Seminars at Pullman Hotel
September 23rd to 30th: Screening at SF World Cinema and CentralWorld

For more information and registration, visit the official website.

Bangkok Dangerous, the movie

What’s better than starting a new blog about Bangkok and Thailand with a post about a movie featuring Bangkok and Thailand?

Well, the problem is that Bangkok Dangerous is a pretty bad movie. Written and directed by the Pang Brothers and starring Nicolas Cage, the movie is a remake of the Pangs’ 1999 debut film of the same name, a Thai film for which Cage’s production company, Saturn Films, purchased the remake rights.

This is about a hitman, Joe (Nicolas Cage) who goes to Bangkok on an assignment to kill four people. He hires pickpocket Kong as his assistant and meets a beautiful deaf-mute girl along the way.

The plot is good. The thing is that the movie is actually boring: actors are not convincing, action is slow, atmosphere is weird… Bangkok Dangerous is everything but a good movie.

The only interesting fact is the way they arrange to film Bangkok in a kind of futuristic way. The city looks clean, modern… and dangerous!

If you haven’t seen the Bangkok Dangerous movie yet, believe me, don’t waste your money, wait for the DVD!