Thai Night Carlton Cannes 2023 "Thailand where films come alive"

The first edition post-pandemic of Thai Night at the Cannes Film

Festival shines a bright light on the Thai film industry’s impressive

success and limitless potential

Cannes, 21 May 2023 — The Thai film industry took stage at the prestigious Cannes

Film Festival with the latest edition of Thai Night Cannes 2023 “Thailand Where

Films Come Alive” , an event held on the 20th of May by the Department of

International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai

Government.

Presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana

Barnavadi and attended by renowned Thai and international directors, producers,

actors, and industry professionals, the event epitomized Thailand's newfound role as

a major player in global cinema, both as a content producer and as a premier

destination for international productions.

Thailand’s embrace of the future and its focus on modernizing its film industry so as

to make the Kingdom a world-class production hub was a recurring theme

throughout Thai Night, as symbolized by the theme of the event itself: “Thailand

Transformed”.

In her speech, Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana noted that the Thai

government has made the Film Industry a national priority under its new ‘5Fs’ policy

with the aim to increase Thailand’s soft power through culture. 5Fs stands for ‘Food,

Fashion, Festival, Fighting and Film’.

This priority is reflected by the numerous programmes initiated by the Ministry of

Commerce to support the Thai film industry at home and internationally. Initiatives

include the organization of Thai Night events around the world, as well as facilitating

Thai companies’ participation to major film markets and festivals or organizing

pitching sessions, matchmaking programs and Thai content markets. These

programmes are clearly showing results, the evening providing an impressive

showcase of the Thai film industry’s commitment to innovation, creativity and

technological advancements.

As highlighted by Her Royal Highness, Thai content and stories are becoming

increasingly more appealing to a global audience. Last month, the release of Thai

psychological thriller “Hunger” directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri topped Netflix’s global

non-English film chart while the Thai hit thriller “Bad Genius” is being remade in

Hollywood under the helm of Patrick Wachsberger, the Oscar-winning producer of

“Coda”.

The event was also the occasion to celebrate Thailand’s position as one of the

world’s leading destinations for international productions. The efficiency of the cash

rebate programme for foreign production, which was recently upgraded to a

maximum of 20% of qualifying expenditures.

This production scheme is perfectly complementing the country's unique blend of

stunning natural landscapes, vibrant cultural heritage, and state-of-the-art

infrastructure. Thailand offers a diverse range of locations that can effortlessly

transform into any backdrop a filmmaker desires, coupled with a skilled workforce

and a supportive government that incentivizes foreign productions. This explains why

2022 was a record year in terms of welcoming foreign productions, with a total of 348

foreign films and TV series filmed in the Kingdom.

In light of Thai Night’s success in Cannes, it is clear that the Thai film industry is

poised to make a significant impact on the global stage. With its talented pool of

directors, producers, actors, visual effects technicians combined with its commitment

to innovation and its world-class production facilities, Thailand has all the ingredients

to become a leading player in producing captivating content for international

audiences.

As such, this edition of Thai Night not only celebrated the accomplishments of the

current generation of Thai film professionals and creators, but also paved the way for

a promising future. The Thai film industry is ready to embark on an exciting journey,

one that will captivate audiences around the world and solidify Thailand's position as

a powerhouse in global cinema.

About the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce,

Thailand

The DITP promotes Thai products and services as well as develops and expands markets for

them and enhances the competitiveness