The 5th Bangkok International Film Festival established since 2003 is a relatively new festival.
Each year the festival showcases more than a 100 feature and short films from over 41 countries and regions, representing some of the best and the brightest in the current international cinema through its various program sections. The festival focuses on the works by emerging filmmakers through out Asia, and in particular those of the Southeast Asian region.
From China this year there are five entrees, ‘The Case’ directed by Wang Fen, ‘The Park’ by Yin Lichuan, ‘Getting Home’ by Zhang Yang, ‘My Aunt’s Postmodern Life of My Aunt’ by Ann Hui, ‘Pin Guo’ by Li Yu. These five films are a far cry from the martial arts costume films that are conventionally thought of to come from China. The subject matter of this group are contemporary life as it is lived in modern China.
Another remarkable fact is that apart from ‘Getting Home’, four out of five of these films are made by women directors, two of which ‘The Case’ and the ‘The Park’ are fist time directors. The uniqueness of this has attracted press attention from not just Thailand but around the world.
‘The Park’ tells the story of the attempts of a father to match-make his daughter. Shot in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province the film showcases a piece of city life previously unseen in Chinese films. Audiences at the Film Festival were particularly moved by its emotional resonance and showed their appreciation with applause following the screening.
‘The Case’ is a Freudian physiological thriller set in the ancient town of Lijiang. Music by Xia Ha is especially praised for the mix of contemporary beats and ethnic minority tunes that underscores the story with suspense and drama. The story of a middle-aged man’s fantasy and desires turning to nightmare made some remark that it is the Chinese ‘American Beauty’.
