It was a coup by independent filmmakers at the Thai film industry’s awards night on Sunday when almost all major prizes went to talents working in the margin, leaving the mainstream heavyweights with just a few consolation trophies.
Tang Wong, a politically-tinted drama that includes a reference to the 2010 red-shirt protest, won Best Picture and its writer/director Kongdej Jaturanrasmee won for his directing and screenplay at the 23rd Subannahongsa Awards. The film was partly funded by the Culture Ministry, but its narrative is edgy and the drama, about a group of teenagers forced to learn traditional Thai dance to fulfil their pledge to a local shrine, is a sharp critique of how we define “Thainess”. One of the film’s young stars, Nattasit Kotimanasvanich, also won Best Supporting Actor.
Meanwhile, an even smaller film Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy was the dark horse of the night and won four awards. The film — an unusual coming-of-age story adapted from 410 tweets of a girl — won Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Actress (Patcha Poonpiriya, in her first film role) and Best Supporting Actress (Chonnikarn Netjui). The film, which was made with a grant from the Venice Film Festival, was released late last year and became a sensation among young viewers. It was directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, who was nominated for his directing and writing but didn’t win.
The Best Actor prize went to Nadech Kugimiya. He had been seen as a shoo-in winner for his role in the high-budget historical drama Khu Kam, in which he plays a Japanese soldier who falls for a Thai woman during World War II. The film, which was not a hit despite the popularity of the original novel, also won Best Costume Design.
Last year’s history-making film Pee Mak Phra Kanong, which made nearly 1 billion baht at the box office, came home with just one trophy, Best Art Direction, despite its 13 nominations in all major categories.
The Subannahongsa Awards took place on Sunday night at the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya. The annual ceremony is organised by the Federation of Thai Film Producers and is considered the highest recognition for Thai film industry professionals. This year, the awards were decided by what the organiser calls R + O, with 50% of the results determined by a panel of referees and the other 50% from open votes from film industry professionals.
