Wanasiri Morakul.
Tourism is a key factor in Thailand’s economic growth, accounting for 16% of last year’s GDP. That said, the Department of Tourism plans to further promote the country, as one of the best film-shooting destinations.
Wanasiri Morakul, the new director-general of the Tourism Department, said 724 international films were shot in the Kingdom last year, generating over 3.1 billion baht in revenue — a 15% increase from 607 films last year. Almost half of them were advertisements, followed by documentaries, TV programmes, films, music videos, TV series and game shows.
Filmmakers from more than 40 countries chose Thailand for filming. At the top of the list is Japan, which shot 141 films here, followed by India (119) and China (47).
“Once those films showing beautiful pictures of Thailand are on air or on screen, the impact to our tourism industry is huge,” she said. One such example is the recent success of Lost In Thailand, the Chinese film released in December 2012. The movie drove the number of mainland Chinese tourists to Thailand from 4.63 million in 2014 to 7.9 million in 2015. The momentum has carried through today. The Tourism and Sports Ministry expects that about 10 million Chinese will visit Thailand this year, resulting in a rise of 10-15% in revenue.
To showcase Thailand as a desirable destination for film-shooting, the Tourism Department will organise the Thailand International Film Destination Festival 2016 in Bangkok next month.
Wanasiri discussed the Film Destination Festival with Life.
What does the department plan to do to increase revenue?
We expect to attract big-budget films such as Alexander (2004). That movie shot only two scenes in Khong Chiam in Ubon Ratchathani, making it look like India. The team spent almost 600 million baht on the shooting. Another example is Hangover Part II (2011), which spent about 350 million baht filming in our country.
We will also promote new shooting locations, including the provinces in the Northeast and others nationwide.
How’s the progress of the proposed incentive — the 20% tax rebate for foreign big-budget films shot in the Kingdom?
We’re working on finding 150 million baht in the budget for the incentive. We’re also working on revising a legislative process to support the virtual incentive. We hope to execute the plan by January next year.
How long does it take for one film to be approved?
It doesn’t take too long for the Thailand Film Office [under the Tourism Department] to study the script and give their approval. If it’s a short film, like an advertisement or a TV programme, it will take them about three days. If it’s a feature film, it will take about 15 days.
About 70 to 80 requests are submitted to the office each month. We hardly turn down the requests, except when we see an inappropriate script. We will ask them to adjust the content. If they can’t, we won’t give our approval. The rate for disapproval is less than 1%. The main reason is because they want to attack our country.
We can handle content that portrays the truth, but not content that condemns us. We have experts in our committees for the approval process, as well as field staff to take care of the crew and be our ears and eyes when a film is shot.
Why do the films shot in Thailand always have monks or tuk-tuks in the stories? Is that one of the requirements of the Tourism Department?
Of course not. Those filmmakers shoot monks or tuk-tuks in their films because they might want to add some elements that can convey Thailand to the audience. What we’re concerned with is only that if they have monks, temples, or Buddha images, the scene must be appropriate.
Tell us more about the 4th Thailand International Film Destination Festival (TIFDF 2016).
The festival will feature a short-film contest and an event to show international films shot in Thailand.
The short-film contest is called the “Amazing Thailand Film Challenge”, and is open for undergraduate students worldwide. More than 200 teams have already applied, but only 32 will be selected. One team will consist of two foreign students and one Thai student, who will work as a production assistant.
Each team will be required to shoot a short film in one of eight categories — namely, Lanna Civilisation, Southern Isan, East Coast, West Coast, Andaman, Cultural Heritage Sites, and Way of Life along Mekong and Chao Phraya River Basin.
What is your expectation?
Each team is expected to tell a story that represents ‘Thainess’. They’ll have five days to shoot their films. We will provide a van with a driver and 30,000 baht cash for each team. Those films will be used to promote our country in the future.
We will also have a wining award for each location-based category. The judging panel will comprise eight experts including George David, the first vice-president on the Board of Directions of the Association of Film Commissioners International, and Glainn Giner, the President of Sony Pictures Screen Gems. The award ceremony will be organised on July 13 at the National Theatre.
What else can we expect from the film festival?
The film festival is called “Thailand on Screen”. From July 6-12 at Paragon Cineplex, we will have 14 movies from 10 countries that were shot in Thailand.
The movies are The Asian Connection (2016), Pattaya (2016), Baaghi (2016), Un Nuovo Giorno (2016), River (2015), Hacker (2015), The Man With The Iron Fists 2 (2015), Twilight Over Burma (2015), Happy Hour In Paradise (2015), Forever Young (2015), Detective Chinatown (2015), Fireflies (2013), Sayonara Itsuka (2010), and Sunny And The Elephant (2008).
The event will be open for everyone, free of charge.
How much will the department spend on TIFDF 2016?
We have a budget of 40 million baht. About 960,000 baht will be spent sponsoring 32 teams of the Amazing Thailand Film Challenge, and the rest will be used for hosting the Thailand on Screen event and marketing activities.
We expect to host the Thailand International Film Destination Festival every year to make Thai people proud of their country, as well as to promote Thailand among the new generation of film producers worldwide.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.