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Falcon Pictures is betting big on genre-bending with its latest Warkop Dki project, tapping acclaimed Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun to write what promises to be the most unconventional entry yet in the beloved Indonesian comedy franchise.

The production house has revealed that Pisanthanakun, the creative force behind international horror hits “Shutter” and “Pee Mak,” will bring his distinctive horror-comedy sensibilities to the untitled fourth film inspired by the legendary trio of Dono, Kasino, and Indro.

“After the success of Pee Mak, I’ve long wanted to return to the horror-comedy genre – a space where fear and laughter collide in such a unique and challenging way,” Pisanthanakun said. “This film gave me the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

Falcon Pictures has found consistent box office success with its previous Warkop Dki films under the “Reborn” banner. Founded in 2010, the Jakarta-based company has emerged as a powerhouse in Indonesian cinema, producing...

“I’ve never been a vacuum cleaner before… it’s very out of my comfort zone,” says Thai model and actress Davika Hoorne on her role in Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s Cannes Critics’ Week title A Useful Ghost. She plays a woman who dies of dust pollution and then returns as a ghost in the form of a vacuum cleaner, determined to save her family from a similar fate.

“I had to get to know the vacuum cleaner, my partner,” says Hoorne, adding she put herself in the hands of the director to pull off the performance. “His picture was very clear. There was a bit of improv but mostly it was what he wanted.”

Related: ‘Sound Of Falling’ Review: Mascha Schilinski’s Superb Feature Is A Masterclass In Ethereal, Unnerving Brilliance – Cannes Film Festival

It is not the first time Hoorne—who is one of Thailand’s best-known actresses and...

Falcon Pictures is mounting a remake of the iconic Thai horror film “Shutter,” reuniting with Thai powerhouse Gdh for their second collaboration following the successful Indonesian adaptation of “Pee Mak” into “Kang Mak.”

The deal was revealed at the Cannes Film Market.

The production has assembled a marquee cast for the project, including Vino G. Bastian, Anya Geraldine, and Niken Anjani. The company has now released first-look images that offer a glimpse into the atmospheric world crafted by director Herwin Novianto, who brings a distinctly Indonesian sensibility to the remake while honoring Banjong Pisanthanakun’s landmark 2004 Thai horror original.

“We’re excited to share the first images from ‘Shutter,’ which we believe will deliver an intense, emotionally gripping, and visually compelling horror experience,” said Frederica, producer at Falcon Pictures. “This remake is not only a tribute to Banjong Pisanthanakun’s masterful work, but also an expansion of our vision to...

Exclusive: Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun has reunited with star Davika Hoorne for psychological horror Inherit, which Gdh 559 is pre-selling at the Cannes market.

Davika from Banjong’s 2013 smash hit Pee Mak plays Grandma Woranart, an 80-year-old grandmother who suddenly returns looking like a woman in her 30s after having disappeared for half a century. But her return brings terrifying hauntings to her family, with her 18-year-old granddaughter destined as the next heir to the demon. A first look at Hoorne in a promotional image for the film can be seen above.

The story is based on a classic Thai novel,...

In the sea of content on Netflix coming from Asia, “Kang Mak Pee Mak” is certainly one of the most entertaining you can find. The ghost dramedy based on a beloved Thai original, and directed by Indonesian helmer Herwin Novianto isn’t short of crazy ideas and cynical commentaries on the country’s history, politics, and local superstitions, and it does the trick with the winning elegance of a movie that doesn’t pretend to be something more than an exciting time-eater. As we know, it is one of the hardest things to pull off, and Novianto knows his trade.

A brief scene introduces us to the highly pregnant Sari (Marsha Timothy) who waits for her beloved husband Makmur (Vino G. Bastian) to return from the war. While he is doing everything possible to stay alive and rejoin his family, Sari succumbs while giving birth. Yet, her ghost remains, and...

I started watching Kang Mak with no real expectations. Maybe that’s why I didn’t mind it too much. It has its share of cringe-worthy moments between the two leads, Makmur and his wife, Sari, which some may find cute, but other than that, there wasn’t anything exceptional. The Indonesian film, set somewhere around the 1970s, is an official remake of Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest-grossing film of all time. Based on Thai folklore, the story centers around a war veteran, Makmur, who returns to his village with his army friends to meet his wife, Sari, and his kid. [Spoiler Alert] Upon arrival, his four friends, Supra, Jaka, Solah, and Fajrul, figure out that Sari is already dead, but instead of leaving the village behind, they try to help their friend and save him from the ghost of his own wife, but it turns out Makmur knew everything from the...

The 2024 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf), held its closing and awards ceremony for the Pitching section today (8th). This year’s grand prize, the Taicca X Cnc Award, was awarded to Clouded Leopard by Mangowork Studio Co., Ltd., while the Taicca Award: Best Story went to Rest in Pieces by Balena Islet Publishing Inc. Each winner took home $30,000 Usd and $10,000 Usd, respectively. Additionally, following the jury’s recommendation, a Special Jury Award was introduced due to the exceptional diversity and quality of proposals. This award was presented to the tri-country co-production The Alleyway which received $10,000 Usd in prize money as encouragement to inspire more market-potential projects in the future.

Taicca Chairperson Homme Tsai expressed that the four-day Tccf event received high praise for its international participation and professional quality, with over 10,000 visitors attending. He hopes to invite more major international platforms and production companies to participate in next year’s...

Khui-Taweewar Wantha’s Thai supernatural horrorDeath Whisperer 2 has scared up $22m (739m baht) to become the second biggest local release of all time.

It has also been sold widely around the world by Bangkok-based sales and production company M Studio, which is currently at AFM promoting new horror titles Ghost Board and Kogaloak Village.

Following its release on October 10, Death Whisperer 2 has smashed a stringof local box-office records – highest advance ticket sales of all time for a Thai film; highest opening day revenue for a Thai film, surpassing $2.4m (80m baht); and fastest Thai film to surpass the 100m baht ($3m) benchmark,...

Asian horror is a unique genre in its own right, known for aesthetically pleasing visuals, creepy storylines, and gruesome deaths, and this includes the best Thai horror movies. Various supernatural folklore and a belief in ghosts and spirits have heavily influenced the Thai horror genre, with movies like Nang Nak and Inhuman Kiss drawing from Thai myths to create some truly memorable scares. Over the years, Thai horror movies have grown in popularity with international audiences who have a love for the horror genre as a whole but are looking for something just a little bit different.

Most are familiar with some of the best Asian horror movies like Ju-On or The Ring franchise, but the American remakes of these classic Asian tales never seem to correctly capture their elusively creepy atmosphere. Pee Mak, the most commercially successful Thai film of all time, is further proof that the horror genre...

Indonesian movies have sailed past the all-time annual admissions record in just nine months from January to September 2024, with new releases pulling in 61.25 million ticket sales, according to data from local box office analyst Bicara Box Office.

The previous record was set in 2022 when local productions racked up 58.16 million admissions by the end of the year. Calendar year total admissions for all films, including local and foreign, had reached 95.56 million by the end of September. Local productions currently have around a 66% market share.

Imajinari’s horror comedy Agak Laen remains the biggest film of the year, drawing 9.1 million admissions, followed by horror thriller Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari with 5.8 million admissions and Falcon Pictures’ Kang Mak, a remake of Thai horror comedy blockbuster Pee Mak, with 4.9 million.

Kang Mak

The next three films in the 2024 top ten are also local productions – infidelity drama Ipar Adalah Maut (4.8 million) and horror prequel Dancing Village: The Curse Begins...

Indonesia’s Falcon Pictures is producing a sequel and animated series based on its local-language remake of Korean drama Miracle In Cell No. 7, which was a hit in Indonesia in 2022.

Falcon and the original IP’s owner, Korean studio Contents Panda (New), held an event today at Busan’s Asian Contents and Film Market (Acfm) to talk about the project, which is unusual in that there was no sequel to the Korean original film.

The film, which has also been remade in Turkey and the Philippines, is about a developmentally disabled man wrongfully imprisoned for murder, who enlists hardened criminals to smuggle his daughter into prison so he can see her again.

The Indonesian sequel, which continues the story of the daughter, again stars Graciella Abigail but has a new director, Herwin Novianto, and writer, Alim Sudio. Indonesian release is scheduled for December 25, 2024. Daryl Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of Falcon’s Kumata Animation Studio,...

Scaring Up A Big Win

Jon Bell’s “The Moogai” was Saturday named winner of the Film Prize at Western Australia’s CinefestOZ festival. With a cash award of A$100,000, it is one of the richest film festival prizes in the world.

Sarah and Fergus, a hopeful young Aboriginal couple, give birth to their second baby. But what should be a joyous time of their lives becomes sinister when Sarah starts seeing a malevolent spirit that she is convinced is trying to take her baby. Fergus, can’t see it but desperately wants to believe her. He does not know if the child-stealing spirit real or is Sarah is in fact the biggest threat to the safety of their family. The film stars Shari Sebbens and Meyne Wyatt.

It is produced by Kristina Ceyton, Mitchell Stanely and Samantha Jennings and coproduced by Alex White. International sales are handled by the U.

Bad Genius director Baz Poonpiriya and Thailand’s Gdh 559 have partnered to form strategic creative house Bask for global productions, partnering with Justin Lin as executive producer and Anita Gou as producer.

The new venture aims to offer a fresh perspective on Thai and Asian culture for global audiences. “Our mission is to support Asian filmmakers, giving a voice to those who are often overlooked and making sure they are heard and seen both behind and in front of the camera,” Baz told Screen.

On its debut slate are a string of in-development projects with Thai filmmakers attached. The...

Organised by the Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals, and supported by Create HongKong and the Film Development Fund, the Asian Film Awards Academy (Academy or Afaa) has spearheaded efforts to promote Asian cinema around the world year-round. As part of the Asian Film Awards (Afa), its flagship event and the largest celebration of Asian cinema in the world, the Academy appoints an emerging Asian star every year as Youth Ambassador to act as the face of the awards and to take part in outreach activities. For the first time in its history, the Academy has appointed not one, but four celebrated Asian stars as the Youth Ambassadors of the 17th Afa: (in alphabetical order) Liu Kuan-Ting, Mario Maurer, Miyazawa Hio and Will Or.

Embodying numerous countries and cultures, Asia is a region that is rich in diversity, and that diversity has always been reflected in its films,...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we’re featuring Taweewat Wantha’s Thai horror pic Tee Yod (aka Death Whisperer). A smash in its home market, it set an opening day record for the year in late October and has the distinction of being the first Thai film ever released in IMAX.

Name: Tee Yod (Death Whisperer)

Country: Thailand

Producers: Major Join Film, Bec World, M Studio

Distributor: M Pictures

For fans of: Shutter, Pee Mak, supernatural horror

Following quickly in the footsteps of another 2023 Thai horror hit,...

Location, Location, Location

Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.

The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...

Leading Thai production and sales company Gdh 559 is introducing comedy drama Not Friends and twin sister story You & Me & Me to buyers at Filmart, produced respectively by award-winning directors Baz Poonpiriya and Banjong Pisanthanakun.

The new films mark the first time both renowned filmmakers have acted as producer for other directors.

Baz is the director of Thai box office hit Bad Genius and Sundance award-winning One For The Road, while Banjong is the filmmaker behind acclaimed horror The Medium and Pee Mak, which became Thailand’s highest grossing-film of all time when it was released in 2013.

Not...

Mirror singer and actor Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming action thriller Chungking Mansions. Billed as Hong Kong’s biggest zombie film ever, the Phoenix Waters Productions pic, in co-production with Amm Global and Salon Films Japan, has also added Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korea’s Choi Si-Hun and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung.

They join previously announced cast members including Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singapore’s Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.

Chungking Mansions tells the story of a disparate group of people from across the globe who must climb the iconic Chungking Mansions building amidst a zombie outbreak in Hong Kong. Centered around an American seeking to rescue his pregnant wife, the action moves between people of all nationalities across the city who are undergoing their own journeys to survive.

Lo, who became the most Googled Hong Kong...

Upcoming action thriller to be sold at Filmart.

Hong Kong singer Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming zombie thriller Chungking Mansions, which is being discussed with buyers at Filmart Online this week.

Lo is a member of popular boyband Mirror and previously starred in hit Bl series Ossan’s Love.

Further additions to the cast include Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung. Davika Hoorne, known for Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, also joins the cast, taking over a...

Anson Lo, part of Hong Kong pop sensation Mirror, has joined the cast of “Chungking Mansions,” an ambitious zombie film that is currently in advanced preparation.

Alongside Lo, Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung join the previously announced Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singaporean actors Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.

Davika Hoorne, who previously starred in “Pee Mak,” Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, will also join. She takes over a role previously assigned to Angel Locsin as the assistant to the American protagonist’s pregnant wife.

Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions. The labyrinthine building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” and is arguably the richest cultural...

In 2004, Banjong Pisanthanakun and then-collaborator Parkpoom Wongpoom kickstarted their directorial careers with “Shutter,” a supernatural thriller so effective it’s been remade (albeit to lesser effect) abroad three times to date. Less likely to translate that widely is Pisanthanakun’s latest solo effort, “The Medium.” Marking his return to straight horror after a couple romances and one more comedically slanted genre film (“Pee Mak”), this demonic possession saga is too thoroughly Thai in milieu and details to risk being just another derivative of “The Exorcist.”

Still, cultural specificity only brings so much freshness to an overlong tale that ultimately trades in too many familiar tropes, from the victim’s evil-grinning, black-gunk-spewing

hijinks to the deployment of a found-footage construct a la “Blair Witch.” There are perhaps too many ideas here, few of them novel, and none scary enough to keep these two-hours-plus taut. A watchable mixed bag that’s already been successful on home turf,...

Sales agency Finecut has secured a flurry of Asian and European deals for supernatural horror film “The Medium,” which is directed by Thailand’s Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Korea’s Na Hong-Jin.

From Europe, buyers include France’s The Jokers Films, and Koch Films for German-speaking Europe. Within Asia the film has been licensed to Edko Films for Hong Kong and Macau, to Encore Films for Indonesia and Malaysia, Synca Creations for Japan, Golden Village for Singapore, MovieCloud for Taiwan, M Pictures for Cambodia and Laos and Lumix Media for Vietnam.

Finecut executives report that they are now in advanced negotiations for a deal covering English-speaking territories.

The rural-set picture had its world premiere at the Bucheon international Fantastic Film Festival and there won the ‘Best of Bucheon’ award. It shifted into commercial release in Korea from Wednesday, and on opening day topped “Black Widow” with a $665,000 haul.

“After...

Buyers keen to get the next hit in the vein of The Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing.

South Korean sales company Finecut has done a raft of deals on Korea-Thailand shaman horror title The Medium, produced by Na Hong-jin and directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.

The film made its world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) where it won the top Best of Bucheon prize last night (July 15). It opened locally on July 14 and is sitting atop the box office chart so far with more than 253,000 admissions.

The Medium sold based on a promo reel to...

"A story about shamanism in Thailand..." An early promo trailer has debuted for a new supernatural horror film from Thailand titled The Medium, the latest from acclaimed Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun. The film is being sold at the Cannes Market this year and is looking to get some extra buzz with this early trailer drop. The Medium is a rural horror thriller telling the story of a shaman's inheritance in the poor Isan region of Thailand. "The spirit that appears to be possessing a family member might not be the benevolent Goddess they believe it to be." Ohh that sounds very freaky. No cast is announced yet, but the film is being produced by fellow Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin. Horror fans definitely need to keep an eye out for this. It looks utterly terrifying. Here's the promo trailer (+ poster) for Banjong Pisanthanakun's The Medium, from YouTube ...

The creepy fascination for shamanism that continues to exist in modern-day Thailand and Korea will be on full display this summer in “The Medium.” The film is now confirmed for a July commercial release and may be in line for a midnight screening berth in a major festival.

Korean distributor Showbox is gearing up for the film’s outing in cinemas with the release of a first trailer. July and August are prime months for horror in Korea where local audiences believe that on-screen chills provide relief from the oppressive summer heat outside.

The rural horror thriller (aka “Rang Zong”) is the story of a shaman’s inheritance in the poor Isan region of Thailand. And where the spirit that appears to be possessing a family member might not be the benevolent goddess they believe it to be.

“The Medium” is directed by Thailand’s Banjong Pisanthanakun who rejuvenated the...

’The Medium’ is directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong-jin.

South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to Thai horror film The Medium (previously known as Rang-Zong), directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong-jin.

It marks the first producing credit for the Korean director of The Chaser and The Wailing. Both of those thrillers played in Cannes official selection in 2008 and 2016 respectively, with Finecut representing them for international sales.

The Medium is in post-production and Finecut is launching sales at EFM. The film is backed and locally distributed by Showbox in South...

Top Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun and Korean director-turned-producer Na Hong-jin (“The Chaser”) have teamed to create new Thai horror film “The Medium.”

Now in post-production, “The Medium” is a horrifying story of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. But the goddess that appears to have taken possession of a family member turns out not be as benevolent as it first appears.

The film (aka “Rang-Zong”) was developed by Na with the backing of Korean studio Showbox. Local production is by Thailand’s Gdh 559. Co-production is by Na’s company Northern Cross, with the film marking Na’s debut as a producer.

International rights are being handled by independent sales firm Finecut, which will launch the film at Berlin’s European Film Market. Finecut previously handled two of Na’s earlier films “The Chaser” and “The Wailing,” both of which premiered in the Cannes festival’s official selection.

France’s The Jokers Films has acquired French rights to the project, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.

The Wailing director Na Hong-jin is producing a Thai supernatural film, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, whose 2013 Pee Mak is Thailand’s highest-grossing film of all time.

Major South Korean investor-distributor Showbox announced the project today (September 23) along with news that the film has been pre-sold to The Jokers Films for France.

The film, which deals with shamanism, has the Thai working title of Rang-Zong, meaning ‘medium’.

It will be Na’s first film since his bombshell Cannes horror title The Wailing in 2016. The Korean...

Thai production house Gdh 559 is launching its inaugural slate with Banjong Pisanthanakun’s anticipated romance.

Banjong Pisanthanakun’s One Day is set to open on Sept 1 as the first title from the debut slate of new Thai production house Gdh 559, following the breakup of Gmm Tai Hub (Gth) last year.

The highly-anticipated romance film reunites Banjong with his leading man and co-screenwriter Chantavit “Ter” Dhanasevi (Hello Stranger).

The story follows Ter’s character who risks everything to be with his dream girl for just one day by pretending to be her boyfriend after she suffers temporary memory loss.

TV actress Nittha “Mew” Jirayungyurn makes her big screen debut in the film, which was mainly shot on location in Hokkaido, Japan.

Another upcoming Gdh title is New Year’s Gift, which is scheduled for release on Dec 1. The feel-good romantic drama is a three-part omnibus directed by Jira Maligool (The Tin Mine), Nithiwat Tharatorn (The Teacher’s Diary...

Thailand’s M Pictures has closed a string of sales on horror film Take Me Home, directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, which it launched at Hong Kong’s Filmart earlier this month.

Following a pre-market sale to Cambodia’s Westec Media, the film has also gone to Suraya for Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Brunei; Inter Solusindo Film for Indonesia; and Dd Content Company for Vietnam and Myanmar.

Starring Thai superstar Mario Maurer (Pee Mak), the film follows a man who returns home after losing his memory and has a frightening encounter with his twin sister’s new family. Wannarot Sonthichai (Jan Dara) plays the sister, while the cast also includes Peter Noppachai (Headshot).

Kongkiat Khomsiri previously directed hit horrors Art Of The Devil 2, Art Of The Devil 3, Chaiya and Slice.

Take Me Home is scheduled to open in Thailand and Laos on April 13, while Cambodia’s Westec has pencilled in a July release.

 

It's a very busy weekend for cinema lovers in Austin. First up, you've got the Austin Asian American Film Festival at the Marchesa. It's a welcome return for the festival, which was last held in 2009. The fest aims to turn the spotlight on films from Japan, South Korea, Myanmar Thailand, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States. It kicked off last night and will run through Sunday. Tonight, you can catch a Taiwanese drama called Ice Poison and Pee Mak, a horror film that is the highest grossing film in the history of Thailand. Saturday's lineup includes a Vietnamese comedy called Funny Money and the festival's centerpiece, Andrew Lay and Andrew Loo's Revenge Of The Green Dragons, a film that features Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. Sunday will include the Indian documentary Tomorrow We Disappear and the Japanese comedy Cicada. The full lineup and ticket information...

The Luang Prabang Film Festival (Lpff) has announced its line-up for this year’s edition, including the world premiere of Lao omnibus Vientiane In Love, which opens the festival on December 6.

Produced by Lao New Wave Cinema, Vientiane In Love comprises five short films about love in the capital of Laos, directed by four up-and-coming filmmakers in Laos’ nascent film industry – Vannaphone Sitthirath, Anysay Keola, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy and Phanumad Disattha.

Lao New Wave previously produced thriller At The Horizon, which was one of the first commercial films to emerge from Laos in recent years. The festival will also screen the rest of Laos’ feature film output over the past year, including My Teacher, Really Love and Tuk Tuk.

The festival has also struck a partnership with Thai exhibitor Major Cineplex, which has opened theatres in Cambodia and is looking to expand into Laos. Major Cineplex execs will attend Lpff and select one of the festival’s films...

Sixties doo-wop singer Frankie Valli has canceled a concert in Bangkok this week because of Thailand's political unrest, the event's promoter announced Monday. Promoter Bec-Tero Entertainment Pcl said Wednesday's performance was being scrapped "due to the current political situation and its associated difficulties, and for the safety and well-being of customers." Southeast Asia 2013 in Review: 'Pee Mak' Huge in Thailand, 'Iron Man 3' Lands in Myanmar  The concert, billed as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, was to be held near one of several sites where protesters have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister

read more...

From a breakaway box office hit in Bangkok to surprise wins at Cannes, to an Indonesian social movement inspired by a documentary about genocide, the fortunes of Southeast Asia's film industries were as wildly diverse as the region itself in 2013. Thai studio Gth smashed the country's box office record with ghost comedy Pee Mak. Iron Man 3's global domination stretched all the way to Myanmar, where the country's media and entertainment sectors continue to make gains after decades of military rule. Indonesia's monopolistic cinema sector prepared for a major shakeup, while Philippine cinema had a banner year, with more

read more...

Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox has bagged six nominations at the 56th Asia-Pacific Film Festival including Best Film and Best Director.

Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have secured nominations in Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories respectively.

Rajeev Ravi has been nominated in Best Cinematography category for Monsoon Shootout.

The awards will be announced on December 15 in Macau. The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (Apff) is an annual event hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (Fpa).

Best Picture:

“The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

“Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

“The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

“Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

“Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)

“In Bloom” (Tbilisi)

Best Director:

Tsai Ming-liang, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)

Bong Joon-ho, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)

Ritesh Batra, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, “Closed Curtain” (Tehran)

Wong Kar-wai, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)

Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)

Best Actor:

Irrfan Khan, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)

Nick Cheung,...

Thai horror films have never quite found the same kind of international audience as their creepy cousins from Korean or Japan, in part due to the fact that the country’s genre outings tend to be more grounded in local beliefs and traditions. “Pee Mak” is a perfect case in point, a ghost comedy based around the ever-popular folk tale “Mae Nak Phra Khanong” and shot through with uniquely Thai humour and character. The film was directed by one of the country’s very top horror helmers in Bangjong Pisanthanakun, responsible for an impressive run of acclaimed spooky hits including “Shutter”, “Alone”, “4bia” and “Phobia 2”, and was a massive box office smash itself, emerging as the highest grossing domestic release of all time, as well as enjoying success in Hong Kong and Taiwan. As per the time-honoured story, the film is set during the war at the beginning of the Rattanakosin Dynasty,...

Re-inventing a classic Thai ghost story into a goofball comedy romance, seasoned director Banjong Pisanthanakun has scored a huge box office hit in his native Thailand. While unlikely to do the same kind of business outside South East Asia, Pee Mak Phrakanong is nevertheless an enjoyable and frequently laugh-out-loud crowd pleaser. Easily the most famous and successful horror filmmaker to emerge from Thailand in recent years, Banjong Pisanthanakun has scored a number of critical and commercial successes on the international stage with films such as Shutter and Alone. He recently directed a segment of Ant Timpson and Tim League's horror anthology The ABCs of Death (N is for Nuptials) and has now delivered the most successful Thai film of all time at the domestic box office. Pee Mak...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Horror comedies such as Pee Mak Phrakanong could be hot exports for Thailand's rapidly improving film industry

The flood of Chinese domestic blockbusters since the turn of the year is the strongest hint yet that the country is capable of being a Hollywood for Asia, and setting the cinema agenda for the region. But it's not the sole player around. At the end of March Thai audiences flocked to see horror comedy Pee Mak Phrakanong – based on the Mae Nak folktale about a man who returns from war and unwittingly settles back in with the ghost of his wife, who has died in childbirth. It had the second biggest opening (21.2m baht/£478,000) ever for a Thai film, and with over 300m baht to date, it is closing on the all-time box-office record (550m baht) held by 2001's war epic The Legend of Suriyothai.

Thai audiences seem to love their history:...

Banjong Pisanthanakun’s (who directed one of Thailand’s best ever and internationally successful horror films ‘Shutter’) latest foray in fright flicks aka Pee Mak Phrakanong has taken a different turn with very much a comedic theme, but that doesn’t seem to have put off local cinemas goers because its apparently just blown a big hole in Thai box office records. Seeing as it’s causing quite a stir, we thought we’d best take a look, and in our wanderings we’ve turned up the full trailer which some bright spark has very helpfully fan subbed. Pee Mak trailer...

Apparently the staff at Twitch aren't the only ones who have been awaiting Shutter and Alone co-director Banjong Pisanthanakun's horror comedy Pee Mak Phrakanong. Nope. Tucked away in a review at Wise Kwai is the note that Pee Mak has posted the second largest opening of a Thai film ever at the local box office, it's 21 million baht opening day take second only to the original Ong Bak, with the 100 million line crossed on the fourth day - meaning averages actually went up through the first week as word of mouth spread. So, yes, apparently the film is quite good though it sounds as though some of the comedy might be quite region-specific.Beyond the simple fact that we've been fans of Banjong here...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...