Archive for July, 2007
Thai Filmmakers Hope Remakes Will Lure Overseas Audiences
BANGKOK - When Nicolas Cage’s new movie “Bangkok Dangerous” hits the big screen later this year, he’ll be starring in the first Thai film to undergo a Hollywood makeover.
It’s a milestone for Thailand’s film industry, and has boosted the hopes of local filmmakers who hope to sell more overseas studios on their work during the Bangkok International Film Festival, which opens Thursday night.
“Before, only movies from Hong Kong, Korea and Japan were sold for remakes. Now it’s Bangkok’s turn,” Apriaradee Iamphungphun, executive director of Five Star Production Co, told AFP.
“Remakes are another step forward for Thai films in the international market. It involves not only sales income but intellectual property rights,” she said.
“Bangkok Dangerous” is a remake of a 1999 gangster thriller directed by the Hong Kong-born brothers Danny and Oxide Pang. Oscar-winner Cage plays a hitman who falls for a Thai woman and gives up his life of crime.
The movie, tentatively scheduled for a September release, was shot entirely in Thailand on a budget of about 400 million baht (11.7 million dollars).
Rights to remake Five Star’s “6ixtynin9″ (Talok Hok Kao) — a thriller by acclaimed Thai director Pen-ake Ratanareung — has also been sold for millions of dollars, Apriaradee said, with talks underway on three or four other titles.
An American remake of the Thai horror film “Shutter” is already being shot in Japan and is expected to go to Western audiences next year, studio GMM Thai Hub said.
The studio made one million dollars selling the rights to remake that movie, and has already signed a similar deal for another horror film, “Alone,” expected to go into production next year, said Yongyuth Thongkongtoon, head of the company’s international department.
For Thai directors, that kind of money could finance a new project, or in some cases recover costs if their films fail to attract local audiences.
It’s not just American studios interested in Thai films. A Korean company is remaking the Thai drama “Me Myself,” the story of a gay man who fell in love with a woman after losing his memory in a car accident.
Most of the Hollywood interest is in Thai action or horror movies, which are the only ones so far to have made ripples at the American box office in their original versions.
Martial arts flick “Tom Yum Goong” has earned 50 million dollars overseas, helped by some American star appeal because it was released in the United States under the title “Quentin Tarantino Presents The Protector”.
That success helped the movie’s studio, Sahamongkol Film, to find an American distributor for another martial arts flick “Ong Bak” and horror film “The Thirteen”.
“The prospects for Thai films in the overseas market are quite strong, including the possibility for remakes,” said Gilbert Lim, Sahamongkol’s vice president for acquisition and sales.
Yongyuth concurs, saying: “We are selling the uniqueness and good quality of Thai films.”
Director Chalerm Wongpim said that at best one in five Thai films could have a shot at overseas success, either through a remake or an international release.
“But at least overseas sales can generate more income for movies when local ticket sales were not enough to cover the budget,” he said.
Chalerm’s Khon Fire Bin (”Dynamite Warrior”) has screened in five overseas markets after New York-based Magnolia Pictures snapped up the distribution license for the martial arts-cowboy flick. - AFP/ra
Channel News Asia
Fans Out In Force At Europe’s Star Wars Convention
LONDON: The Force is strong in the east London docklands as Star Wars fans flock to the second day of the giant European convention on Saturday celebrating 30 years of the epic sci-fi saga.
Security is more visible in the British capital these days but commuters could be forgiven their bemused double takes at seeing Imperial stormtroopers riding the London Underground.
An estimated 50,000 fans are expected to attend the three-day Star Wars Celebration Europe at the ExCeL exhibition centre, which at times resembles Mos Eisley spaceport given the intergalactic species milling about and the background hum of swishing light sabres.
A wealth of actors, props, memorabilia, merchandise and exhibits lie in wait for those descending on the fifth official giant convention, the first to be held outside the United States.
One of the most well-loved film series ever, George Lucas’s six-film space fantasy revolutionised the way movies are marketed and is still evidently cherished by legions of fans happy to lose themselves in the shy Californian’s alternative, ever-expanding galaxy.
Fans came to team up on Friday with fellow Star Wars nuts, many dressed as characters from the movies, such as Jedi knights, stormtroopers, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and even a near-naked Princess Leia.
“It makes children happy, that’s why I do it,” one Darth Vader told AFP through his breath mask as he menacingly patrolled the exhibition centre.
“I do scare some of the smaller children though - and some of the ladies,” admitted the black-clad villain.
“It’s fantastic to be here and be part of it,” said the Dark Lord of the Sith, who is otherwise Belgian soft drinks firm worker Clint van Maerke, 36.
There were giant queues in the autograph hall, with Mark Hamill, who played the central character Luke Skywalker, proving the most popular despite the 85-pound (173-dollar, 125-euro) price tag for his signature.
Hamill, who starred in the original trilogy, later gave an hour-long talk to thrilled fans in the packed 2,000-seat theatre. He said he had only seen the three newer “prequel” films once and had gone “cold turkey” on any twists in his character’s story in the myriad of spin-off novels and comics.
Fans flocked to recreations of space ship interiors and played on the computer games as they wandered between the stalls of collectibles and X-wing fighters, speeder bikes and snowspeeder vehicles.
Saturday’s special events include talks with Anthony Daniels, who played the prissy, golden protocol droid C-3PO, and the actors who played the cult figure Boba Fett, the shadowy bounty hunter, plus the producer of the three “prequel” films.
There is also a chance to hear from the original crew, see a one-man show acting out the original film trilogy, a costume pageant competition and a battle of the bands featuring music acts in the films.
Meanwhile the R2-D2 Builders Club is on hand to teach people how to put together their own astromech droids just like the chirpy little robot in the movies.
The day ends with a giant outdoor Star Wars party.
Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm’s head of fan relations and director of content management, said the Star Wars saga would develop on smaller screens.
“George has made it very clear that he will not be making any more Star Wars movies. He will also not let anyone else make a Star Wars movie,” he said.
“Has George ever changed his mind? Yes,” he added.
“George has told the story he wants to tell on the big screen. He really wants to move on to other things. But those things involve Star Wars.”
Fans will get to see footage from those forthcoming projects: a computer-animated television series entitled “The Clone Wars”, and “The Force Unleashed”, a video game featuring new characters and storylines.
Tickets cost 23 pounds (47 dollars, 34 euros) per day.
- AFP/so
Channel News Asia