''Manta Ray'' (Thai: ''Kraben Rahu'') is a 2018

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng. It is Aroonpheng's first feature film, following his graduation from

Digital Film Academy The Digital Film Academy (DFA) is a for-profit art and design college with locations in Manhattan, New York and Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 2001. History DFA was established in 2001 by filmmaker Patrick DiRenna in the historic Film Center Build ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

75th Venice International Film Festival The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018. Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro was named as the President of the Jury. '' First Man'', directed by Damien Chazelle, was selected to open the fest ...

on 7 September 2018 and received the award for the best movie in

Orizzonti/ Horizon Prize '' Orizzonti'' is a section of the Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic ...

selection. Aroonpheng also received the Silver Pyramid at the 40th

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

. The film stars Aphisit Hama, Wanlop Rungkamjad and Rasmee Wayrana in lead roles. The film focuses on the political theme of

Rohingyas The Rohingya people () are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an ...

in a poetic way. French composers

Christine Ott Christine Ott (born 10 August 1963) is a French pianist, vocalist, ondist,

and Mathieu Gabry, working as a duet under the name ''Snowdrops'', created an original score for the movie and had been part in the sound design. Thai cutting-room ace

Lee Chatametikool Lee Chatametikool ( th, ลี ชาตะเมธีกุล) is a Thai film editor and sound editor. He is a frequent collaborator with Apichatpong Weerasethakul and other Thai independent directors, but has also worked on commercial films, i ...

was also involved in the project.

Cast

* Aphisit Hama as Thongchai * Wanlop Rungkamjad as the fisherman * Rasmee Wayrana as Saijai

Production

''Manta Ray'' is a continuation of Aroonpheng's 2015 short film ''Ferris Wheel'', which also deals with migrant workers and the porous border between Thailand and neighbours. Aroonpheng began his work on ''Manta Ray'' in 2010, consecutively to Mae Sot, a border town in the north of Thailand populated by Thai and Myanmar people. His original script was called ''Departure Day'' and was in two parts: the first about a migrant worker from Myanmar who slips through the border into Thailand, and the second takes places in a fishing town and concerns the search for a true identity of a mysterious man. The first part became ''Ferris Wheel'', and the second part ''Manta Ray''.

Release

After its premiere at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, the film screened at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in th ...

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

Mumbai International Film Festival The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It ...

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

and in 2021 at

74th Locarno Film Festival The 74th annual Locarno Festival was held from 4 August to 14 August 2021 in Locarno, Switzerland. The opening film of the festival was '' Beckett'' by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, which had its world premiere on 4 August. The 74th edition of Loc ...

in open doors screenings category.

Awards

''Manta Ray'' received the award for the best film in Orizzonti Horizon Prize selection in Venice and the Golden Gateway for best film in the International competition category in Mumbai. Aroonpheng won the Silver Pyramid, also known as the Special Jury Prize for Best Director, at the 40th

, tied with Ukrainian director

Sergei Loznitsa Sergei Vladimirovich Loznitsa ( be, Сяргей Уладзіміравіч Лазніца, russian: Сергей Владимирович Лозница, uk, Сергій Володимирович Лозниця; born 5 September 1964) is a Uk ...

for ''

Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

''.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 8837018, Manta Ray *
Manta Ray
' at diversion-th 2018 films 2010s Thai films Thai-language films Chinese drama films French drama films Thai drama films 2010s French films