Mobilizing film professionals in Thailand
The film industry in Thailand has experienced ups and downs over the years. In the 1970s, Thailand enjoyed a boom in domestic film production, sparked by the introduction of a tax by the government on imported films. The re-opening of the market to foreign products in the 1980s resulted in a stagnation in the Thai film production in the late 1980s and early 1990s, while the film industry grew again in the years around 2010, partly driven by an increase in foreign films shot in the country. Indeed, foreign film production within Thailand has increased dramatically following the implementation of production incentives, resulting in 80 international features being shot in Thailand in 2017: 30 more than the previous year. The Thai government now seeks to make the country the leading regional centre for film production and post-production. Nonetheless, while Thai film companies have entered co-production deals with companies from other countries in the region, Thailand does not yet have any official co-production treaties. Furthermore, Thailand has not yet ratified the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Furthermore, there remains a level of fragmentation and lack of coordination within the sector, which potentially will dampen the sector’s dynamics and potential to grow. This project seeks to address this issue by helping build linkages between government agencies and key stakeholders in the industry.
After the consultation event entitled Another Trip to the Moon on 25 December 2020, with the participation of 162 film stakeholders, including Ministry of Culture and Contemporary Arts Committee representatives, the 185 Films has completed a very first up-to-date comprehensive study for the Film Sector in Thailand with detailed recommendations and roadmap towards the establishing the Film Council.
Recommendations made following the study include: 1) Establishing a Film Council, including a detailed roadmap, 2) Networking and creating film community, 3) Knowledge management and capacity building, 4) Developing the welfare and professional standards for film crews, and 5) Creating the film culture, 6) Setting up Film Funding Plan, 7) Film Education Advocacy, and 8) Laws and regulations change.
An archive platform of the current situation, challenges and recommendations for the Film Industry in Thailand – YOONG website – is up and running in Thai language. A series of interviews with renown Thai film professionals have also been uploaded.
The full study is in the process of being edited to be made public in 2022.
UNESCO Bangkok and the Ministry of Culture co-organized the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival seminar in September 2020 in a hybrid format. The event was attended by more than 300 independent film professionals (200 on site and 150 online). The issues of film industry in the digital era were discussed in a forum with the attendance of Mr. Toussaint Tiendrebeogo, Chief of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Entity as the main speaker. During and after the seminar, the Permanent Secretary (MoC), the Thai Media Fund, private sector and film professional representatives discussed the possibilities of having Thaiflex or a film online platform and have explored some cooperation at the regional level, for example with Indonesia and the Philippines. This is an ongoing process involved several consultations.
The Ministry of Culture of Thailand issued a Decree (December 2021) to establish a Film and Audio Division as a one-stop-entity for research, and developing as well as implementing all related film laws and regulations towards strengthening the film industry in Thailand according to the 20-year National Development Strategy. The proposed Film and Audio Division will be a more autonomous decision-making body to tackle any issues related to film laws and regulations. The Decree also has set up the Management Section, Secretariate and Operational and Policy Section, and Film Industry Promotion Section. The objective is to develop film industry in Thailand by promoting the Thai film potentials to compete at the global scale and for film industry to contribute to the economic development of the country.