KOREA FOUNDATION

KF spoke with Thai director Chayanop Boonprakob, who visited Korea for ASEAN Cinema Week 2019—ASEAN Cinema NOW! The event will provide the opportunity to meet famous directors and actors from 10 ASEAN films.

Q. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview. Could you briefly introduce yourself for KF Newsletter readers? You’ll be visiting Korea to attend ASEAN Cinema Week 2019 - ASEAN Cinema NOW! Is this your first visit to Korea? What would you like to do while in Korea?

Hello! My name is Chayanop Boonprakob, Thai film director with the production studio GDH. My previous featured films are SuckSeed (2011), May Who (2015), and A Gift (2016), and my latest is Friend Zone (2019). I’ve been to Korea many times back in the days I used to work as flight attendant. This time I’ll sure be enjoying watching movies in the festival.

Q. Among the movies you directed, SuckSeed: Huay Khan Thep and May Nai Fai Rang Frer have been screened at international film festivals in Korea. Did you come to Korea when your movies were shown here? If you did, do you have any special moments you still remember?

Back in 2011, I got a chance to attended Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. That was the very first time my movie brought me anywhere outside of Thailand. There was one program showing Korean youth short films. I watched all six or seven films in the program. The quality was pretty good. But then my jaw kind of dropped when they invited all the directors up front, all aged around 15–17. They might already become some well-known directors today or in the very near future!

Q. You’ve directed several movies that deal with friends from school. Your latest film, Friend Zone, which will be shown in Korea, also has a similar background. Is there a particular reason you tend toward such themes?

Back in high school, I used to write in a diary almost every day, about everything, forming bands at school, the girl I was hooking up with. I also drew pictures along each page. You can see the reference clearly in May Who. I also started directing in my mid-20s. I believe telling stories about people quite the same age as myself is what I’m most capable of.

Q. Thirty years have passed since Korea and ASEAN became friends, and this time-honored relationship has enabled events like ASEAN Cinema Week What roles do you think this kind of cultural exchange can play in promoting and maintaining friendship between Korea and Thailand and between Korea and ASEAN as a whole?

A couple of days ago I listened to a Thai song featuring a Korean hip-hop artist. There have been no boundaries in collaborating with one another for quite some time and the number will only rise, mostly by younger generations, which are the future. Attending and learning about each culture can always be a great sources of new inspiration.

Q. ASEAN Cinema Week, which is hosted by the KF’s ASEAN Culture House, will be introducing films from ASEAN countries that are recognized for their popularity and artistry to represent the dynamic growth of the ASEAN film industry. What are your thoughts on the current status and future of Thai film, and moreover, ASEAN film?

For Thai cinema, I believe we have people with great skills in every production department, but there is too little time to spend on developing the s. which is the main thing we should be focusing more on. Also, working to make the movies’ “big idea” go beyond Thai audiences is the next big thing we should be aiming for. Thai movies like Bad Genius have proved that to us.

Q. Would you like to say something to the KF Newsletter’s readers and to movie fans who will be seeing your works at ASEAN Cinema Week? And could you tell us what plans await you after your visit to Korea? Could you give us some hints about your next work?

It’s really an honor to be filming our movie here. I hope you enjoy it! I’m starting to miss making movies focusing on music, so I hope there will be more tunes in my next project!!

Interviewed by Kim Daniel