The tremendous success of Pee Mak is a promising sign for the Thai film industry. The film is set to earn over 500 million baht ($17.39 million), closing in on the all-time local box-office record of 550 million baht set by The Legend of Suriyothai. The film has also been well received elsewhere in Southeast Asia, with full houses reported in Indonesia in particular. The warm welcome in the region for the latest hit from Thailand has again reminded our filmmakers that the industry has opportunities outside its homeland.

To date, several Thai films have been well received in the region, and a few, such as action movie Tom Yam Goong and the comedy Iron Ladies, have become popular outside Asia. Thai horror-comedies and romantic comedies have fans multitudes of fans in Hong Kong. Regional audiences are also now familiar with Thai stars.

Film creativity is something that Thailand has never lacked, with awards from Cannes also to our credit. In the art-house genre, Cannes award-winner Apichatpong Veerasethakul is a homegrown creative superpower. The Thai film industry might experience slumps at times, but the industry has been on the rise since the arrival of young-blood directors like Wisith Sasanathieng, Nonzee Nimitbutr, Pen-ek Rattanaruang, Prachya Pinkaew, Jira Malikool and Yongyoot Thongkongthun in the early 2000s.

Now veterans, they were pioneers of new ideas in Thai films. They should be credited for taking our cultural products abroad. Wisith made Europeans love his period cowboy drama, while Prachya’s Tom Yam Goong made Tony Jaa a worldwide stunt hero. On the comedy side, Jira and Yongyoot drew attention that landed them chances and a reputation in the region in the horror and comedy genres. Their success inspires more creative-minded people to enter the industry.

With the foundation that the veterans laid, Thai films have earned a place in the region and are now poised to go beyond, with new opportunities arising in the Chinese market. There are a number of promising signs. At the start of the year, the hit Chinese comedy Lost in Thailand grossed more than $200 million and significantly increased interest in Thailand among Chinese tourists. It has also made the Thai government realise that cultural products can be potential exports.

To Thai filmmakers, the success of Lost in Thailand signals an important fact ― that a low-budget film can become a blockbuster in China. Before its success, Chinese filmgoers preferred big-budget films, and there was rarely a chance for a modest-budget film to top the box-office ratings. Lost in Thailand cost only 3 million yuan (about 140 million baht) to make.

Thai filmmakers usually make low- to moderate-budget films, and when compared to Hollywood or Chinese filmmakers, they are encouraged to make the most of their strengths in content and creativity. Perhaps the timing is right now, with the Thai Embassy in Beijing catching on to the trend and starting to build bridges for Thai filmmakers. The embassy held its first Thai film festival in Beijing this week. It brought Thai stars and other industry people, including National Film Association of Thailand president Visute Poolvoralaks, to meet Chinese authorities. Thai envoy to Beijing Wiboon Khusakul said the festival would help cement relations between the two countries after the success of Lost in Thailand.

China is one of the most important markets for Thailand, since it is plausible for Thai filmmakers to connect with Chinese audiences, who love the looks of Thai stars. The challenge is that Thai films have to compete with Hollywood, with the foreign-film quota per annum in China just 34 movies. Visute said co-production should be one of the answers to cope with quota and censorship obstacles.

The bridge is being built in China, and the Thai government should really consider a similar pattern as spearheaded by Beijing. The film industry has urged the government to offer strong support. One of the models being cited is the way South Korea’s government supports its local film industry, not only financially but also in promotion overseas.

The Thai government must act now if it wants to take cultural products seriously, because export earnings can ride along on the success of Pee Mak and Lost in Thailand. The government can make the movies’ journey abroad smoother. As for Thai filmmakers, they know they must remain “themselves” and sell their uniqueness instead of emulating Hollywood to compete with the heavyweights. Success in overseas markets now rests upon good cooperation between the Thai government and film industry.

(The Nation (Thailand))

(Asia News Network)