Bollywood action-adventure film, Thugs Of Hindostan, filmed in Thailand

Benetone Films is honored to be the supervising producer in Thailand for one of Indian cinema’s biggest films this year, Thugs of Hindostan.

Yash Raj Films Production has pulled off an incredible casting coup by bringing together two of the biggest legends of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan on screen for the first time.

The team filmed in never-seen-before jungles of Thailand, which adds to the scale of the movie. It will be a visual spectacle for audiences when they see the scenes filmed in these exotic locations.

Thugs of Hindostan is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and also stars Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh.

The film is an adaptation of the 1839 novel, Confessions of a Thug that explores the life of a gang that posed a serious challenge to the British Empire in India.

For more information about filming and production service in Thailand, feel free to contact us.

Winner of Most Preferred Shooting Provider at the Indywood Film Carnival

Benetone Films is honored and grateful to be awarded the Most Preferred Shooting Provider at the Indywood Film Carnival.

Presented by one of the most famous Indian filmmaker, Ashish Singh of Yash Raj Films, at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, India - Benetone Films was chosen as the international company preferred by Indian producers when shooting abroad.

Thank you for acknowledging our contributions and support for international filmmakers.

Benetone Films line produced new Veet Smooth & Fresh's regional campaign

Benetone Films line produced a regional campaign for Veet Smooth & Fresh, and to boost the positive momentum of people's love and passion for the product, they worked with different female celebrities from different countries. Shraddha Kapoor for India, Mahira Khan for Pakistan, Mai Davika for Thailand, and Leyla Tugutlu for Turkey.

Through the regional campaign, Veet Smooth & Fresh is aiming to further increase the brand awareness across different regions.

A21 Can You See Me Campaign

Benetone Films are honored to be part of A21 for the “Can You See Me?” Campaign, which aims to bring awareness on the millions of men, women, and children who are currently trapped in slavery across the world.

Thanks to all the production team and crew on this. It was a very gratifying experience to be part of a powerful campaign… in hopes to open few more eyes to the needs of the victims.

Visit benetonefilms.com to view our other projects.

The 20th Shanghai International Film Festival

We're off to Shanghai for the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 18 -20, 2017 at Shanghai Exhibition Center Eastern Hall 1 (2nd floor) Booth No. A2.

Benetone Films will be presenting 3 new films in-development including the $20M funded family-adventure film, Oliver Storm, developed by Benetone Films. This will be the biggest production in Thailand.

Feel free to drop us a note at contact@benetonefilms.com if you would like to arrange a meeting in Shanghai.

See you in Cannes!

SEE YOU IN CANNES!

May 15 – 21, 2017

Benetone Films is looking forward to partake in this year's Cannes International Film Festival. Will you be there, too? We’d love to see you!

With the aim to present what Benetone Films has to offer, we will be joining with DITP at Thailand Pavilion, Palais Level 01 , Booth No. 22.01, #9

This year, Benetone Films will be presenting 2 award-winning feature films and 3 new films in-development. We aim to create new opportunities for different filmmakers to exchange opinions towards Thai and foriegn movies in terms of creativity and business. 

Feel free to drop us a note at contact@benetonefilms.com if you would like to arrange a catch-up while in France!

In Remembrance of His Majesty: What Visitors Should Know

Mourning Period for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Thailand is in an official period of mourning following the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In this regard, Benetone Films and the Thailand Film Office would like to inform that all foreign production shoot in Thailand is permitted as usual. However, we would request you to observe the following:


• Many Thai people will be wearing black or white clothing as a sign of mourning. This is not required of visitors but if possible, they should wear sombre and respectful clothing when in public.

• Visitors should refrain from conducting any inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour.

• Tourist attractions will be open as usual with the exception of Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace, as they will be the venue of the Royal Funeral Rites.

• The Government has asked for the cooperation from the entertainment venues; such as, bars and nightclubs to consider the opening of their business operations during this time. The decision will be made by the individual owners.

• Most of the traditional and cultural events will be taking place as usual, although the celebrations may be changed for appropriateness as a mark of respect, or the events may be dedicated to the memory of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

• All transport, banks, hospitals and other public services will be operating as usual.

• The related authorities have stepped up safety and security measures for all Thais and visitors to facilitate their travelling around the country.

• For any enquiries, please contact our TAT domestic offices or Tel.: 1672.

Bentone Films would like to thank all visitors for their understanding and supporting Thailand during this period of time.

Thailand launches 20% production incentive

Source: Screendaily.com

The Thai government has approved a rebate for international productions that spend at least $1.5m.

Thailand has finally secured government approval for production incentives in the form of a 15-20% cash rebate on qualifying local spend.

Expected to kick in from January 2017, the incentive offers a 15% rebate on international productions that spend at least $1.5m in the country, with a yet-to-be determined upper limit to prevent a single big-budget production from emptying the pot.

An additional 3% is available for films that use key Thai cast or crew when shooting in the country and a further 2% for films that have particular value in promoting Thailand.

Thailand’s deputy prime minister Tanasak Patimapragorn and Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul were both in Cannes to announce the incentive. “We’ve been working very hard to come up with this scheme and we hope you’ll look at Thailand in a new light. We’re committed to making our country a dream destination for everybody,” said Wattanavrangkul.

Thailand is already one of Asia’s most popular filming locations – recent productions to shoot in the country include The Mechanic and Chinese thriller Battle Of Memories – but has been facing competition from countries that offer incentives such as Australia and Malaysia.

The Thai government has been working on an incentives scheme for several years. The new incentive will be managed by the Thailand Film Office, working with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce.

In 2015, a total of 63 feature films shot in Thailand compared to 41 the previous year. Nine features have filmed in Thailand in the first three months of 2016.

'Baaghi' official trailer featuring Tiger Shroff-Shraddha Kapoor is out now

 

The much-awaited trailer of the movie "Baaghi," starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, is out now!

Line produced by Benetone Films, the film was shot in the beautiful mountain locations and beaches of Thailand.

The trailer features a combination of action sequences, romance, and daring stunts from Shraddha and Tiger showing off his impressive high flying, crazy kicks and punches.

The film is slated to release on 29th April 2016.

The Runaway Winner at Seadance Film Festival

Winner of Best Feature Film and Best Actor

 The Runaway is at it again! Thank you Seadance Film Festival!

The Runaway (Official Trailer) from Benetone Films on Vimeo.

Benetone Films to line produce Unveil Studios' "She Has A Name"

Another EXCITING NEWS from Benetone Films!!

We recently had the pleasure of line producing the film "She Has A Name" with Unveil Studios from Canada. It was a fantastic 16-days of shooting and collaborating.

"She Has A Name" is based on the critically acclaimed stage play by Andrew Kooman. It tackles the chilling subject of human trafficking in South East Asia and explores the layers of corruption that enable the sex tourism industry to thrive.

Unveil Studios is working with different human trafficking organizations for the film, so stay tuned as we keep you posted on its progress.

QMobile Noir S2

Our small tribute to Paris, the elegant and wondrous old city by river Seine, presenting the chic new Noir S2 is our very own, the very classy, Iman Ali.

Tips for filming in Thailand

Original post is from KFTV

Thailand is one of the most popular countries in Asia for filmmakers and not just because of low production costs. The territory has excellent infrastructure especially for production equipment, plus with picturesque views and friendly locals the nation has become a production hotspot.

Dozens of foreign films were shot in Thailand, including Hollywood movies: James Bond 007: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); The Beach (2000); Around the World in 80 days (2004) and Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason (2004) to name a few.

In 1923, Miss Suwanna of Siam, a romantic film, written and directed by Henry MacRae was filmed in Thailand starring Thai actors, making the project Hollywood’s first co-production with the country. After this filmmaking flourished and still continues to attract foreign film producers. In recent years, Bollywood projects have also chosen Thailand as the preferred location for their movies.

So if you are planning to shoot a film in Thailand, here are some helpful tips to keep handy.

• Shooting Permit – Remember shooting without a permit is a violation of law. This permit must be taken from the Thailand Film Office. Filmmakers are required to hire a Thai coordinator that is officially registered with Thailand Film Office, Office of Tourism Development, to help obtain permits as there are procedures to follow both before and after it is granted. They can also help out in contacting local crews you may need for your production.
  
  However, separate permits are issued for specific locations such as, National Parks and Historical Parks; you should arrange this if necessary in advance of shooting dates. You can apply for these permits at One-Stop-Service Centre for other types of productions e.g. Feature Films, Docu-dramas, TV dramas, Mini-Series and Reality Shows. Applications should be made at the Thailand Film Office at least 14 days (10 working days) in advance as script approval must be sought from the Film Board.

• Know the fees – There is no fee for obtaining a filming permit, however after the approval a representative from the Thailand Film Office is required to attend the shoot and all his/her expenses has to be covered by the production company depending upon your kind of permit and location. Location Fees - this fee depends upon the location and the discussion with your Thai coordinator.


• Production Crews – Since Thailand has a good experience with foreign film projects their production costs are very reasonable compared with other countries in the area.They have also established a very good reputation in providing top of the line crews. Your Thai coordinator can help you out on where to find the best crews in town or you can always search ahead of time.


• Language – It is always good to mingle with the local crews in order to learn some words or phrases to have a smoother production workflow.


• Culture – Prior to your arrival in Thailand, we recommend that everyone should at least brief themselves with the do’s and don’ts in the country. Thais have several social customs that you should be aware of:

1. Thais greet one another with a ‘Wai,’ the traditional closed hands and a slight bow of the head, younger people will usually initiate the wai. More recently, western visitors will generally receive a handshake on meeting.
2. Thais consider the head a sacred part of their body. One therefore should not touch anybody’s head. Apologize immediate if you happen to touch anyone’s head by accident.
3. Thais consider the feet lowly and therefore one should not put his feet on a table or chair or point it at people or objects.
4. Expressing sexual feeling in public is unacceptable in the Thai culture.
5. Showing an image of the Thai National Flag on packages or goods is allowed only if done by government’s agencies and for commercial purposes with approval.  
6. Clean water and proper utensils should be used during the Songkran Festival or the Thai New Year and water should not be thrown at those who do not wish to be part of the celebration.

• Weather- Thailand is a tropical country and its climate depends on three seasons. Hot-Dry Season: Feb-May where average temperature may be 34˚c with 75% humidity. Wet Season: June-Oct with average temperature of 29˚c with 87% humidity. Cool Season: Nov-Jan with average temperature of 32˚c to 20˚c and a drop in humidity.

When all is set, welcome to Thailand and enjoy your stay.

Thailand Location Series: Central Thailand

Filmmakers around the world are, over the recent years, taking advantage of Thailand’s exotic locations, cheap and hard working labor, and high production values, to shoot many of the movies and other productions; contributing millions to the country’s economy. While, these reasons and more were mentioned in a previous blog, we expanded the location factor, covering each part of the country, in a series of blogs to highlight little known locations with list of the popular movies shot in those parts.  

The series having, previously covered Northern, Western, and North Eastern and Eastern parts of Thailand, now looks at the Central part of Thailand, barring Bangkok, which with its popularity, preference by many filmmakers to shoot, locations capable of doubling up for any place in the world, merits a single blog of its own.   

The Central Thailand covers Bangkok Metropolitan, Chao Phraya Basin, Northern Gulf Coast and West of Bangkok. It is the richest part of Thailand, boasting of the complex irrigation system developed for the wet-rice agriculture that provides the necessary economic support to sustain the country. It is also a focal point of trade and transportation from the ancient times and, in the recent times, industrial activity. Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi, and Nakhon Pathom are among the most well known cities in this region.

Due to its historical importance, the area boasts of locations, houses and temples that are influenced by the Burmese reign, establishment of the present Siam kingdom and colonial periods. They have regularly double up for Cambodia, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries.

Selected below are few of the locations from the region.  

Phra Narai Ratchaniwet: A perfect blend of two different architectural styles – French and Khmer. This palace was commissioned by King Narai with the contributions of French architects. It is a beautiful ancient location which can double up for 17^th century European times, or any period of the colonial times in Asia.

Wat Sao Thong Thong: A remarkable, unique and historical importance location of the area. This western style viharn was originally built by King Narai as a church for the Christian envoys. He later ordered the replacement of Thai windows with Western-style windows with Gothic-designs in the secondary chapel.  However, today this viharn is a Buddhist temple with a large seated Buddha image inside, resulting in one of a kind temple inside a church.

Buffalo Village: Most are familiar with the Elephant village up north of Thailand; however the country is home to a large population of water buffalos, an animal very importance to Thailand, culturally and historically. The locations around can also easily double up locations in the South East Asia, many a times set as a village with the buffalos and villages during the Vietnam War.

Bang Namphueng, Damnoen Seduak and Amphawa Floating Markets: The famous floating markets which has been extensively a part of many productions shot in Thailand. They reflect the charm of the canalside lifestyle of the community, in addition to of course the food and drinks. Its beauty has been dubbed, “Venice of the East” by early European visitors.

Atsana Wihan Mae Phra Bangkoet: A beautiful church constructed in French Gothic architectural style built in 1890 by Father Paolo Salmone, a French Missionary; a reminder of the colonial presence in Thailand.

The well known productions to have shot around these areas are Mortal Kombat (1995), Mortal Kombat:Annihilation (1997), The King Maker (2005), Alexander (2004), The Deer Hunter(1978), Casualties of War (1989), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), BeyondBorders (2003), Bangkok Dangerous (2008), and many more. 

Thailand Location Series: The North Eastern and the Eastern Thailand

In our previous blogs, we covered the Northern and Western parts of Thailand.  Both parts of Thailand are populated by national parks, dense jungles and hills. We have also mentioned the international productions While many international movies had been shot in the northern and the western regions; the North Eastern and Eastern regions, except for Pattaya, haven't been featured extensively in the international productions.    

The Northeastern Thailand is popularly known as Isan locally. It borders Laos along the Mekong River and Cambodia in the southeast. Due to this, the population is divided into Lao speaking majority who call themselves as Khon Isan; and the other Khmer speaking community who follow customs very similar to Cambodia.  The region is the least fertile, boasting of exceptionally hot, dry climate. It is culturally rich, and home to many Thai Prime Ministers and other prominent figures in the country. However, the region remains the poorest in Thailand.

The Eastern Thailand is characterized by short mountain ranges alternating with small basins of short rivers which drain into the Gulf of Thailand. It has many popular tourist places, most notably Pattaya, the notorious sex tourist haven, and also other beautiful offshore islands.

Below are few of the least well known locations of the regions.

Phu Kradueng National Park: The ultimate destination for Thai trekkers. Every year, thousands of people come to travel up this famous mountain which is 1316 meters above the sea level. It is perfect for the productions looking for vast wide plain and cold climate pine forest.

The Catholic ChurchChanthaburi: For productions involving beautiful Gothic architectural styled church, this is a perfect choice. The church is the largest catholic edifice in Thailand and boasts of beautiful interiors and surroundings.

Koh Kradan: One of the most beautiful islands with white long sandy beach and wonderful coral reefs. Is one of the favorite locations for the Bollywood and local productions.

Mukdahan National Park: This location is famous for its unusual rocks. Moreover during the rainy season, the flowers of different colors bloom from the rocks giving it magnificent colors. It had been featured extensively in many Bollywood productions.

Mo Hin Khao: This is the Stonehenge of Thailand. The location claimed to be between 195- 175 million years but nevertheless for this is a perfect location for the productions involving ancient Jurassic times or sci fi production to show strange alien lands. The possibilities are endless.

The well known productions to have shot around these areas are The Big Boss or Fist of Fury (1971), TwoBrothers or Deux Frères (2004), Alexander (2004) , The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Shanghai (2010).   

Benetone Films to line produce “Its Entertainment” starring the Khiladi Akshay Kumar

Bangkok, Thailand – Benetone Films announced that it has been chosen to line produce Akshay Kumar’s next starring venture, “Its Entertainment” which will be directed by the debutants Sajid- Farhad and produced by Ramesh Taurani. The movie pairs the Khiladi with TamannaBhatia and will begin shooting around various locations in Bangkok by the end of June.

This is not a first time that Benetone Films has had an opportunity of working with Akshay Kumar. Over the last few years, the production house had line produced big budget Akshay starrers such Chandni Chowk to China, Housefull 2, Blue and Desi Boyz. In fact, a couple of months back Benetone Films also line produced soon to be released BOSS which is directed by Anthony D’ Souza, the director of Blue.

More information will be updated by the company on its website here and also on its social presence at Facebook.com/benetonefilms and Twitter.com/benetonefilms

“Marty Press Play”, its time adults listen

Benetone Films is proud to announce its patronage of “Marty Press Play”, an upcoming project bought together by a group of young students. “Martin Press Play” is about a 7 year old Marty who lose his father to a horrific car accident after which his mother, terribly scarred remarried Frank who treat him cruelly. But what the step father doesn't expect is that Marty is looking to get rid of him and it won’t be an accident. The project owners are currently raising funds to the total amount of US $ 2,300 on IndieGoGo, one of the largest global crowdfunding platform.

“Marty Press Play” addresses, through the eyes of the young Marty, frustrations faced by the children who are often hold responsible by the adults for the troubles that they haven’t create. Ultimately, the frustrations bottled up for long exploded and young Martin proceeded to do something which involves the title of the film.

“Martin Press Play” starred a young new talent, Nicky Jaques as Martin, the beautiful Colleen Ann Fleischmann as Mom and Ryan Preimesberger as Frank. The first look of the movie with messages from the director and the young lead can be viewed here. 

The project has so far raised US $ 1,962 and has still 16 days left on the campaign. You can contribute to the project at http://bit.ly/12alKGF with many rewards available depending on the amount of funds that you will support the project.

The other members of the team include Tom Byrnes (Assistant Director); Jeffrey Men, Mia Christo, Adithep Narula (Producers); Sean Kiely (Sound Mixer); Steve Russell (Director of Photography); Michael Sheptock (Assistant Camera) and Andrea Massaad (Production Designer). 

Why shooting in Thailand without incentives is still an attractive option

In our last post, we mentioned the importance of incentives and how Thailand loses a lot of potential businesses from the big international studios for the lack of it. Yet, there is no denying that the country is still attracting filmmakers from all over the world who find other factors prevalent in the country to be attractive. In this post we will highlight these factors. 

During the one day seminar of the Thailand International Film Festival 2013, many of the guests agreed that Thailand is one of the best places to shoot a movie and some including Mr. Daniel Zirilli and Mr. Andrew Pfeffer (Bangkok Dangerous, Running Scared and etc.) shared their wonderful experiences of shooting their projects here. During their stories, they repeatedly highlighted some of the factors that make Thailand an attractive place to shoot. In this post, we will detail each of the factors and share the experiences from the filmmakers to illustrate how without the incentives, Thailand is still one of the most appealing place to shoot.

Hard working and experienced crew: Daniel Zirilli recounted an incident on one of his earliest shoots in Thailand when heavy equipment was urgently required for a shoot on top of a hill and it was proving to be difficult due to some unforeseen problems. One of the crew members solved the dilemma by lifting the equipment and went all the way to the top without once complaining. This story is one of the many examples of hard working attitude of the locals who are not afraid of working hard and are always ready to brave any kind of situation. Additionally, with many upcoming film production services in the country, more and more people are gaining the valuable experiences and thus become what one of the guests said “the most attractive workforce for film production in the region.”

Locations: When the Chinese government suddenly revoked the permit to film a week prior to shooting, Weinstein Company’s ambitious project Shanghai ran into trouble. They had to walk away from an expensive set and find a new location in a short time. Fortunately for them, Thailand has the locations that can double up for the historical time China and at a lower cost. In other instances, Thailand’s beautiful (and the popular notorious side) beat out Rio to be featured in Hangover 2; and of course the beautiful paradise for Leonardo Di Caprio in TheBeach. The country is no short of having beautiful locations and has in fact been a favorite for many Bollywood filmmakers who increasingly using it to double up for places such as New York, Bahamas, to name a few.

Low cost of production: Thailand as mentioned above was used to double up for many other locations primarily not only because of its beautiful locations, but also of the low cost of production. The production services down here are not only reasonably priced but other factors including logistics and accommodation are among the best and cheapest in the region. Moreover, sets construction is admittedly by many of our clients one of the cheapest at the highest quality in the region. This all contribute to the lower cost for the filmmakers and thus saving costs to a large extent.

Excellent Infrastructure: Thailand’s infrastructure is undeniably one of the best in the region. Many filmmakers find it easy to shoot in Thailand and easy to transportation of the equipment or the crew to locations quickly. In fact we have had finished shoots that take place at 3 different locations in a single day itself!

Professional Production Services: The guests had praised highly of the professionalism of the production services in Thailand and this made us proud. We at Benetone Films had strive to be the best of the crop and we value transparency and honesty highly when servicing the clients.

Friendly atmosphere: Thailand is popularly known as the land of smiles and this is always pleasant for the filmmakers who come back to Thailand again and again to enjoy the hospitality and joy of working with the locals. Moreover, Thai people are gracious and go out of their way to make sure the visitors are comfortable. Mr. Kulthep Narula representing Benetone Films in fact shared how during the 2010 Thai political protests,  the shoot went on without any trouble a mere distance away from the protests. Moreover the protesters were handling out water or refreshments to the crew.

The above factors are one of the other many others to make the filmmakers choose Thailand despite not having incentives. In the end, we welcome you to experience the country for yourself and for any assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Micromax: Celebration of HD Color

The prisoners were lined up under the hot sun. Tears streamed down their faces as they looked at each other before turning to stare at the firing squad in position with the guns pointed ready to fire upon the command. The commanding officer strutted, spit out the chewing gum and looked at an officer sitting in an idle jeep, a distance away before turning to the photographer standing next to him with a nervous expression. The overweight office asked the photographer if he was ready and as the latter nodded apprehensively, the officer took aim and in loud voice ordered the squad to fire…

The commercial for Micromax (12^th largest handset manufacturer in the world), line produced by Benetone Films (Thailand’s premier production house), started off on somber note but take a surprising turn and in the end become a celebration of life and color. The short commercial conveys the beauty and multi color of lives.

The challenge of bringing such a beautiful commercial with vast arrays of exploding colors was a challenge. The colors were meant to explode at the exact moment and also with colors needing to explode on the wall and everywhere around, it means the usual bag of colors under the shirt trick (use for blood scenes) is no longer adequate.

However for us at Benetone Films, the more challenging it is the more fun it is. For us to handle such tasks and bring it to fruition in result for such a colorful commercial was certainly fun and yes exhausting. Moreover, we were supported by our hardworking crew and the cast who braved the scorching heat to participate in bringing this commercial to life.

By the end, the director and the client got exactly the commercial as they had envisioned and we feel proud to have helped them in bringing this vision into a reality.

The commercial has so far aired with the accolades pouring for the high production quality, the cast, the crew and the location that blend perfectly in this short but entertaining commercial.

You can check out the commercial below.

For more check out our works at www.benetonefilms.com

Follow us at facebook.com/benetonefilms or Tweet us at twitter.com/benetonefilms

The Latest Effort in Luring Filmmakers to Thailand - Thailand International Film Festival 2013

Thailand International Film Destination Festival which debuted from April 1 to April 10 was part of an effort to promote the country’s exotic settings and production facilities to the international screen industry.  Thus it came to no surprise that the movies screened during the festivals were the ones that were filmed in Thailand, headlined of which were the dystopian backpacker film, The Beach and the raunchy comedy, The Hangover 2.

(For the list of the films, click here)

The event included a one day seminar held on April 5^th at Centara Grand, Bangkok with two discussion panel sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with local well known figures from the film production in discussion with the foreign guests. Mr. Kulthep Narula represented Benetone Films which have had experience in the field for over a decade.

The morning session hosted two well known location managers from Hollywood, Mr. Michael John Meehan (Pirates of theCaribbean trilogy, Master and Commander: Far Side of The World, Oblivion and etc.) and Mr. Mike Fantasia (The Amazing Spider-Man, Catch Me If You Can and etc. ), Mr. Daniel Zirilli, a young filmmaker who has directed and/or produced over 250 music videos. The afternoon session hosted producer Mr. Andrew Pfeffer (Bangkok Dangerous, Running Scared and etc.), director and cinematographer Mr. Adam Kane (Formosa Betrayed, multi episodes of Heroes and etc.) and actor, producer and writer Mr. Will Tiao (Formusa Betrayed and etc.)

The local speakers besides Mr. Kulthep were actor, producer and writer Mr. Jude S. Walko and producer Ms. Sasisupa Sungvaribud who is also the president of the Film Production Services Association.

Even though, the sessions were dominated by different concerns, there was however one common issue that was raised and discussed extensively: lack of incentives in Thailand for the foreign productions. All of the guests concurred that while Thailand is an attractive option for the filmmakers, thanks largely to the exotic locations, professional and hard working crew, excellent infrastructure and film production services, its lack of incentives is hurting the business that the country should have been getting.

In our next blog, we will detailed the discussions and explore more on the issue of the incentives.

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Twitter: twitter.com/benetonefilms

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