Doi Saket Film Festival 2010

The general, overall schedule!

Chiang Mai movies: 1st Doi Saket International Film Festival 2010!  

by Thomas Ohlson

 

“DSIFF” in various locations in the Chiang Mai–Doi Saket area. 

 

Over one hundred films will be screened in a period of one week during the first ever Doi Saket International Film Festival, right in our own backyard, in a wide variety of locations. Most of the films are short – very short, like a minute or two – because there were no restrictions placed on filmmakers about length or content or form. Truly, up to the filmmaker.

 

Exact scheduling of the films is not yet available, but the festival has a very good website at http://dsiff.tumblr.com/ and the organizers promise a full schedule there within the next few days. Already there is wealth of information, including pictures from, and descriptions of, each of the films being offered.

 

One particular screening stands out for me: Mundane History, a well-known Thai film that has won many awards and much talk in international festivals, but has so far only had a few screenings in Thailand. It is being presented at the Alliance Française in Chiang Mai on Thursday, Oct 28. No exact time yet, but I’m betting around 7 pm.

 

The well-known Bangkok film blogger and newsman Wise Kwai tells me that he thinks the selection of films is "really interesting," a number of them scheduled to be shown at the World Film Festival in Bangkok later this year, and he encourages me to see as many of the films as I can, "especially Mundane History."

 

Use their website and the overall schedule given here to plan your moviegoing during this week of films and you will have a fascinating and rich experience for sure!

 

The 1st Doi Saket International Film Festival 2010

 

DAY 1: Sat, Oct 23, 5-9 pm

 

- Opening ceremony at Srisupa-Akson Building, Doi Saket temple. Screening of the opening film.

 

DAY 2: Sun, Oct 24, 5-9 pm

 

- At School for Life, in the Huay Hong Krai Research and Development Centre, Doi Saket district. Film screenings. Activities with underprivileged children, and discussions about acquiring a higher education; also, the availability of scholarships inside Thailand and abroad for children who lack financial support.

 

DAY 3-4: Mon-Tue, Oct 25-26, 1-5 pm

 

- At Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Doi Saket District. Screenings followed by a Q&A with several directors, and the opening of the Doi Saket Film Market. The Market is a new space for buying and selling films, for meetings about film production, international cooperation, and fund-raising for film projects.

 

DAY 5: Wed, Oct 27

 

1-5 pm - At the Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre of Chiang Mai Province, Mae Rim district. Screening of films, plus a discussion on options for acquiring further education and career opportunities in the film industry.

 

1-9 pm - At Media Arts & Design, behind Chiang Mai University Art Center on Nimmanhaemin Road. Screening of films, plus discussions on "Freedom of Expression in Thailand" and “Art – a Solution for the Artist, or a Solution for the Community and Society?"

 

DAY 6: Thu, Oct 28

 

1-9 pm - At Alliance Française, Chiang Mai. A screening of rare films made possible by the support of the Alliance Française Bangkok, as well as the first public screening in Chiang Mai of Anocha Suwichakornpong's Mundane History. Donations will be accepted for the help of a school for the disabled in Chiang Mai.

 

1-5 pm - At Media Arts & Design, behind Chiang Mai University Art Center on Nimmanhaemin Road. A special program entitled "Homage to Heroes: Films For the People" as a tribute to Sitthipong Kalayanee, filmmaker, co-founder and director of Images Asia Inc. Sittipong's films will be screened along with Video Letters, a collection of moving-image letters from various filmmakers compiled after his sudden death in early September.

 

DAY 7: Fri, Oct 29, 1-9 pm

 

- At 2BR Sirimangklajarn Road, Soi 11. The Doi Saket Film Market with outdoor screenings from 6 pm. Artists, students, and young filmmakers are invited to bring their films and artwork for either sale or distribution.

 

DAY 8: Sat, Oct 30, 6-9 pm

 

- Closing ceremony at Wat Suan Dok. Screening of the closing film, awards presentation for films and filmmakers of different categories, and presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to two significant individuals: Dome Sukawong and Sittipong Kalayanee, for “make a significant contribution to the advancement of society and the nation – through films.”