''The Siam Renaissance'', known in Thai as ''Tawipop'' or ''Thawiphop'' ( th, ทวิภพ), is a 2004 Thai historical fantasy film directed by Surapong Pinijkhar. It is the second film adaptation of the 1986 novel '' Thawiphop'' by

Thommayanti Thommayanti ( th, ทมยันตี) was the pen name of Thailand National Artist Khun Ying Wimon Chiamcharoen ( th, วิมล เจียมเจริญ; 10 July 1936 – 13 September 2021), née Wimon Siriphaibun ( th, วิมล ...

. It stars Florence Vanida Faivre in her film acting debut as Maneechan, a contemporary young woman who is transported to Siam of the 19th century and witnesses the country's struggles against the colonial aspirations of Britain and France. The film, produced by Film Bangkok, employed among the largest budgets for Thai films at the time, but was not financially successful. However, it has gained recognition as a major milestone in

Thai cinema The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited. This sparke ...

's developing trend of historical films and for its contribution to the discourse on

Thai identity Thainess or the Thai identity ( th, ความเป็นไทย, ) is a conceptual identity regarding the quality of being Thai, i.e. characteristics seen as distinctive to the Thai people, their culture, and those belonging to Thailand as a ...

. It was included in the

Thai Film Archive The Film Archive (Public Organization) (FA; th, หอภาพยนตร์ (องค์การมหาชน)), also commonly referred to as the Thai Film Archive (TFA), is a film archive in Thailand. It was established in 1984 as the Na ...

's inaugural list of national heritage films in 2011.

References

2004 films Thai-language films Film Bangkok films Thai historical films Films about time travel Films based on Thai novels Films based on works by Thommayanti Thai national heritage films History of Thailand in fiction {{Thailand-film-stub