Nonzee Nimibutr ( th, นนทรีย์ นิมิบุตร, ; born in 1962 in Nonthaburi Province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

) is a

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. Best known for his ghost thriller, ''

Nang Nak ''Nang Nak'' ( th, นางนาก) is a 1999 Thai supernatural horror film based on the Thai legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong. It was directed by Nonzee Nimibutr and released in 1999 by Buddy Film and Video Production Co. in Thailand. It depi ...

'', he is generally credited as the leader among a " New Wave" of Thai filmmakers that also includes Pen-Ek Ratanaruang,

Wisit Sasanatieng Wisit Sasanatieng ( th, วิศิษฏ์ ศาสนเที่ยง; ; born June 28, 1963) is a Thai film director and screenwriter of Chinese descent. Best known for his colourful debut feature film, ''Tears of the Black Tiger'', he is ...

and

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul ( th, อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; ; ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, ...

Biography

Education

Nonzee is a relative of Lieutenant General Phachoen Nimitbutr (เผชิญ นิมิบุตร), Director of the Signal Department of the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...

and the founder of Thailand's first television station, Army TV Channel 5. Nonzee graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in visual communication design from the Faculty of Decorative Arts at

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name S ...

in 1987. Classmates included Wisit Sasanatieng and production designer Ek Iemchuen. He started his career as a director of

television commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

and

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

First films

He made his feature-film debut with 1997's ''

Dang Bireley's and Young Gangsters ''Dang Bireley's and Young Gangsters'' (Thai: 2499 อันธพาลครองเมือง or ''2499 Antapan Krong Muang''; literally: ''2499 Gangsters Rule the City'') is a 1997 crime drama film about young Thai gangsters in 1950s Thailan ...

'', with a screenplay by

. The story was set in 1956 in Bangkok and follows the adventures of a gang of young criminals, with the action showing the influence of

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...

films. It was named best picture at the Thailand National Film Awards and was nominated for a

Dragons and Tigers Award VIFF Dragons and Tigers Award for Young Cinema was an award from the Vancouver International Film Festival for a film director from the Asia-Pacific region. Presented to a film judged as the best film by an emerging director within the festival's D ...

at the

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 ...

. His next film was ''Nang Nak'', a thriller based on a popular Thai ghost story, also scripted by Wisit. A famous ghost story that has been depicted in many Thai films and television series, the story is about a husband comes home from war and takes up living with his wife and newborn son who, unbeknownst to him, have died while he was away. The moodily framed

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

won numerous awards, including best picture at the

Thailand National Film Awards The Suphannahong National Film Awards ( th, รางวัลภาพยนตร์แห่งชาติ สุพรรณหงส์, also known as the Thailand National Film Association Awards) is the primary film award of the Thai film ...

. Both ''Young Gangsters'' and ''Nang Nak'' were hits at the box office and were credited with reinvigorating the Thai film industry.

Pan-Asian production

With his third film, '' Jan Dara'', Nonzee began a trend of pan-Asian film production in the Thai industry, bringing in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

actress

Christy Chung use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = ...

to star in the erotic drama. He also sought funding from studios outside Thailand. Ahead of its release, ''Jan Dara'' was controversial because its sexual subject matter, involving

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

, tested the bounds of Thailand's 1930 Censorship Code. The film was released with the board's cuts for the film's commercial run in Thailand, but it was available uncut for film festivals. Nonzee also became quite active as a producer, putting his name on such films as '' Bangkok Dangerous'' by

the Pang Brothers Danny Pang Phat and Oxide Pang Chun, collectively known as the Pang Brothers, are a filmmaking duo of screenwriters and film directors. The pair are twins, born in Hong Kong in 1965. Among their films is the hit Asian horror film, '' The Eye'' ...

; ''

Tears of the Black Tiger ''Tears of the Black Tiger'' ( th, ฟ้าทะลายโจร, or ''Fa Thalai Chon'', literally, " the heavens strike the thief") is a 2000 Thai action-adventure film written and directed by Wisit Sasanatieng. The story of a tragic roma ...

'' by

; the historical battle epic, '' Bangrajan'' by

Thanit Jitnukul Tanit Jitnukul ( Thai: ธนิตย์ จิตนุกูล, born in 1956 in Songkhla Province, Thailand) is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. Among his films is the 2000 historical battle epic, '' Bang Rajan''. His nickna ...

and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's '' Monrak Transistor''. He co-founded his own production company, Cinemasia, with his production partner, Duangkamol Limcharoen. She died in 2003. Continuing on his path of pan-Asian production, Nonzee initiated the horror trilogy, ''

Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

'', in which he and two other directors, Hong Kong's

Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer. Early life Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chines ...

and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

director

Kim Ji-Woon Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

, each directed a segment.

Recent work

While keeping busy as a producer, he directed 2003's ''

OK Baytong ''OK Baytong'' ( th, โอเค เบตง) is a 2003 Thai drama film about Buddhist- Muslim relations in southern Thailand. It is written and directed by Nonzee Nimibutr. Plot Tum is a young man who has been a monk living in a Buddhist ...

'', a topical, contemporary drama about a young man who must leave the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monkhood and go to

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

-dominated

southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...

to attend to the affairs of his sister, who was killed in a train bombing. In 2005, he directed a short film, ''The Ceiling'' for the Asian Film Academy, in conjunction with the

Pusan 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 ...

. The 18-minute,

English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

film starred South Korean actors is the story of a young writer who climbs into the crawlspace above her apartment and spies on the woman living next door. His next film, ''

Queens of Langkasuka ''Queens of Langkasuka'' ( th, ปืนใหญ่จอมสลัด; ) is a 2008 Thai historical fantasy adventure film directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, and written by two-time S.E.A. Write Award winner Win Lyovarin. Known as "Pirates Of Langk ...

'', is an epic historical-fantasy involving pirates and three princesses who must protect their realm,

Langkasuka Langkasuka was an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. The name is Sanskrit in origin; it is thought to be a combination of ''langkha'' for "resplendent land" -'' sukkha'' for "bliss". The kingdom, along with Old Ke ...

. The film was originally to be called ''Queens of Pattani'', but the name was changed to avoid possible political overtones stemming from the

South Thailand insurgency The South Thailand insurgency ( th, ความไม่สงบในชายแดนภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย; ms, Pemberontakan di Thailand Selatan) is an ongoing conflict centered in southern Thailand. It ...

and

Pattani separatism The South Thailand insurgency ( th, ความไม่สงบในชายแดนภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย; ms, Pemberontakan di Thailand Selatan) is an ongoing conflict centered in southern Thailand. It ...

. Shooting began in August 2006. The film stars

Jarunee Suksawat Jarunee Suksawat ( th, จารุณี สุขสวัสดิ์; born February 12, 1962), also known by her French name Caroline Desneiges, is a Thai actress and businesswoman. She has been called "Action Queen of Thailand" and is best k ...

Ananda Everingham Ananda Everingham ( th, อนันดา เอเวอริงแฮม; born 31 May 1982) is a Thai actor and model. Working primarily in Thai films, he is best known for his lead role in the 2004 horror film, '' Shutter''. Biography Ana ...

from '' Shutter'', Dan Chupong from ''

Kerd ma lui ''Born to Fight'' ( th, เกิดมาลุย, ''Gerd ma lui'') is a 2004 Thai action film directed by Panna Rittikrai. It followed '' Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior'', on which Rittikrai served as martial arts choreographer, and featured more ...

'',

Jesdaporn Pholdee Jesdaporn Pholdee ( th, เจษฎาภรณ์ ผลดี; ; born June 5, 1977 or nickname Tik ( th, ติ๊ก)) is a Thai actor, model, and presenter. Biography Early life and education Jesdaporn Pholdee is the eldest of three ...

Winai Kraibutr Winai Kraibutr ( th, วินัย ไกรบุตร; born June 16, 1969 in Krabi Province) is a Thai actor. He is from Krabi. He has appeared in a number of films that have achieved significant success at the Thai box office. He is cons ...

and

Sorapong Chatree Sorapong Chatree ( th, สรพงษ์ ชาตรี; born Pittaya Tiamswate; 8 December 1950 – 10 March 2022) was a Thai film actor. He had frequently starred in the films of Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol, as well as in Cherd Songsri's cla ...

. Another film mentioned as being in development by Nonzee is a ghost thriller, ''

Toyol A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore. It appears in the mythology of Southeast Asia and is invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun or bomoh) by the means of black magic. The creature is used to rob people of their rich ...

'', a Singaporean co-production about a pair of Hong Kong children who move with their father to Bangkok and are introduced to a stepmother they do not like, in a house that has some problems, namely, the

toyol A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore. It appears in the mythology of Southeast Asia and is invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun or bomoh) by the means of black magic. The creature is used to rob people of their rich ...

. He's also produced '' Noo Hin: The Movie'', a live-action adaptation of the popular Thai

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

(or

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

) by Padung Kraisri, about a plucky

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

woman who works as a maid in a

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

urban Thai home.Book Talk (February 17, 2005
"Maid in Thailand"
, ''The Nation''. Retrieved December 29, 2005. In 2008, Nonzee became the fifth filmmaker to be honored with the Thailand Culture Ministry's

Silpathorn Award The Silpathorn Award, th, รางวัลศิลปาธร, is an honour for living Thailand, Thai contemporary artists presented annually by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture of Thailand. The awards were estab ...

, an honor previously bestowed on Pen-ek Ratanaruang,

and Thunska Pansittivorakul.

Filmography

Director

* ''

'' (''2499 Antapan Krong Muang'') (

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

) * ''

'' (

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

) * '' Jan Dara'' (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) * ''

'', segment ''San Geng'' (''The Wheel'') (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

) * ''

'' (

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) * ''The Ceiling'' (

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

) (short film) * ''

'' (

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

) * ''Distortion'' (

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

) * ''Timeline'' 2015 * ''The Gift'' 2017

Producer

* '' Bangkok Dangerous'' (

) * ''

'' (''Fah Talai Jone'') (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) (producer) * ''

Bang Rajan The village of Bang Rachan ( th, บางระจัน, ) was in the north of Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, the predecessor state of modern Thailand. Today their village is located in Khai Bang Rachan District of Sing Buri Province. Th ...

'' (

) * '' Jan Dara'' (

) * '' Monrak Transistor'' (''Transistor Love Story'') (

) * ''

'', segment ''San Geng'' (''The Wheel'') (

) * ''

Last Life in the Universe ''Last Life in the Universe'' (Thai title: เรื่องรัก น้อยนิด มหาศาล, ''Ruang rak noi nid mahasan'') is a 2003 Thai romantic crime film directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. The film is notable for being t ...

'' (''Ruang Rak Noi Nid Mahasan'' (

) * '' The Letter'' (''Jod Mai Rak'') (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

) * ''

The Overture ''The Overture'' ( th, โหมโรง or Hom rong) is a 2004 in film, 2004 Cinema of Thailand, Thai tragic-nostalgia musical film, music-Drama (film and television), drama film. A fictionalised account based on the life story of Thai palace ...

'' (''Hom Rong'') (

) * ''

The Eye 2 ''The Eye 2'' is a 2004 Hong Kong supernatural horror film directed and edited by Danny and Oxide Pang. It is a standalone sequel to '' The Eye'' (2002). Produced by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Applause, the film was released in Hong Kong on ...

'' (''Jian Gui 2'' (

) * '' Noo Hin: The Movie'' (2006) * '' Queen of Langkasuka'' (

) * ''Pro May'' (''Atchariyah Tong Sang)'' (

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * ''

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The n ...

'' (''Kuen Yuttitum'') (

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

)

References

* Interview (2001)
"Nonzee Nimibutr - Interview"
''Movieseer''. Retrieved December 29, 2005.

Notes

External links

Cinemasia
– Nonzee Nimibutr's production company *
Nonzee Nimibutr
at th
Thai Film Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimibutr, Nonzee 1962 births Living people

Nonzee Nimibutr Nonzee Nimibutr ( th, นนทรีย์ นิมิบุตร, ; born in 1962 in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand) is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. Best known for his ghost thriller, '' Nang Nak'', he is generally c ...