The Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA) will present three promising sophomore features from acclaimed Thai filmmakers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, marking the 10th edition of the Thai Pitch at Cannes program.
The pitching event, scheduled for May 19-20 at the Thai Pavilion in Village International, continues its mission of connecting Thai filmmakers with potential investors, co-producers, funders, sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. The initiative has established a strong track record of launching successful Thai productions into the international festival circuit.
This year’s lineup features three filmmakers who are following up their award-winning debuts:
Taiki Sakpisit returns with “The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth” after his Rotterdam Fipresci Prize-winning debut “The Edge of Daybreak” (2021). The new project follows sisters Chareeya and Chalika who, after their parents’ deaths, become entangled in desire and haunted by memories within Bangkok’s shadowy underworld. Producer Cattleya Paosrijaroen, whose credits include Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cannes Jury Prize winner “Memoria,” is attached.
Itt Patiparn Boontarig presents “Ghost of the Currents,” which follows his debut “Solids by the Seashore” (2023) that won multiple awards at the Busan International Film Festival. His new supernatural drama centers on a man who returns to his flood-ravaged Mekong riverside village where locals believe a vengeful “River Ghost” is responsible for the disaster.
Nontawat Numbenchapol, who successfully transitioned from acclaimed documentary work to fiction with “Doi Boy” (2023), brings “Ray of Light,” a class-conscious drama set on a film production where a lighting technician and leading actress from vastly different worlds briefly connect. Veteran line producer Tanade Amornpiyalerk is producing.
All three projects recently received funding support from THACCA, with selection handled by a committee including Thai filmmaker-producer Pimpaka Towira, World Film Festival Bangkok director Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, and industry veteran Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who will coordinate the Cannes meetings.
Previous Thai Pitch success stories include “Arnold is a Model Student” (2022), “Anatomy of Time” (2021), “Die Tomorrow” (2017), and “Malila: The Farewell Flower” (2017), all of which secured international festival premieres and recognition.
