''Wonderful Town'' is a 2007 Thai film written and directed by
Aditya Assarat.
The film is set on the mainland north of
Phuket Island
Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
in the dreary
post-tsunami Khao Lak
Khao Lak ( th, เขาหลัก, ) is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand.
The name "Khao Lak" literally translated means 'Mai ...
area and
Takua Pa town,
Phang Nga Province. Shooting was completed in December 2006, for which Aditya had secured funding from
Singha Beer and
Rolex
Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...
. More money was needed for
post-production work, funds were provided by the Thailand Ministry of Culture's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture. ''Wonderful Town'' premiered at the 2007
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 festiv ...
. It won the festival's top prize, the New Currents Award and a US$90,000 prize, which was split evenly with two other filmmakers who also won the award, Malaysian director
Liew Seng Tat
Liew Seng Tat (born 30 September 1979) is a Malaysian filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Early life
Liew Seng Tat was born in an area of Kuala Lumpur called Jinjang. He graduated from the Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, majoring ...
, who won for his film ''
Flower in the Pocket'', and
Guang Hao-jin of China, for his film ''
Life Track''.
[Thai, Malaysian, Chinese directors to share film award]
Agence France-Presse, Channel NewsAsia, October 12, 2007; retrieved 2007-11-05. .
Aditya said he would use his prize money to transfer his digital-format footage to 35-millimeter, and hoped it would have a limited screening in Bangkok sometime in 2008. ''Wonderful Town'' was shown in the Forum programme at the 2008
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
, and won the prestigious Tiger Award at the 2008
International Film Festival Rotterdam.
References
External links
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2007 films
Thai romantic drama films
Thai-language films
Best Picture Suphannahong National Film Award winners
{{Thailand-film-stub