Bhandit Rittakol
Encyclopedia
Bhandit Rittakol was an award-winning Thai
film director, producer and screenwriter. His films include the controversial biographical film
of Thai communist revolutionary Seksan Prasertkul, The Moonhunter; the jungle thriller Tigress of King River and The Seed (Duay Klao or ), a semi-documentary story of Isan
farmers hit by drought
who are saved by cloud seeding
operations sponsored by King Bhumibol Adulyadej
, as well as the Boonchu teen comedy series of the 1980s and 1990s.
, an English language daily newspaper that had just been started by some Thai journalists. Among the stories he covered was 14 October 1973 uprising (see History of Thailand (1932-1973)
).
In 1975, he became a film critic and screenwriter, which eventually led to a career as a director. He made his first film Khad Cheak, in 1984.
In 1987 he made Duay Klao (The Seed), a drama about a farmers in the north of Thailand
hit by drought. The movie starred folksinger Jarun Manopetch and it won best picture and best actor honors at the Thailand National Film Awards. The Seed was remastered and re-released in 2006 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession
of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
. This is the only Thai film
made to date to specifically address King Bhumibol's cloud seeding program. As well other Thai royal projects are depicted in the film. The re-released film also featured a new score of compositions by the king.
Other films by Bhandit include Classmates, which won best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1990; Miss You, winner of best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1993, and Once Upon a Time, the hit comedy film series Boonchoo. His drama, Kalla khrung nueng ... muea chao nee (Once Upon a Time ... This Morning), won awards for best director and best screenplay and was submitted as Thailand's Best Foreign Language Film for the 68th Academy Awards in 1995.
student activist and communist rebel Seksan Prasertkul
, who co-wrote the screenplay. The English title refers to an episode when Seksan was fighting in the jungles of Thailand and, one night, startled by the rise of the moon, he fired his rifle at it.
The Censorship Board
banned the film's trailer, which included stock footage
from 14 October 1973 student uprising, with soldiers and policemen beating up unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators. Bhandit then vowed to not release the film if the board made any cuts, but the board responded that Bhandit was simply using the censorship review process as a means of generating publicity for his film. As it turned out, the film was released without any cuts, a sign, Bhandit said, that Thai society was maturing.
The film was submitted by Thailand for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Subsequent films, the CGI
-heavy The Tigress of King River, the science fiction film
, Ukkabat (Meteor) and the swashbuckling period film, The Magnificent Five generated neither controversy nor critical acclaim.
Despite health problems including diabetes and a heart attack, Bhandit continued to work.
"What else I can do? Run a noodle shop?" the director was quoted as saying by The Nation in 2006. "I have to work. I don't have much time because a director of my age is going to be out of fashion soon."
In 2008, he made a critical and commercial comeback with Boonchu 9, which revived his hit teen comedy series highlighting the clash of rural and urban cultures. In 2009, he released the teen romance A-Nueng Kidthueng Pen Yang Ying, reviving his earlier Miss You series.
He also directed Maha Nakorn, one of nine shorts by different directors in the Sawasdee Bangkok anthology. It premiered as the closing film on 30 September 2009 at the 2009 Bangkok International Film Festival, just one day before his death. He was also at work on Boonchu 10, which studio Five Star Production
planned to go ahead and complete.
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
film director, producer and screenwriter. His films include the controversial biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
of Thai communist revolutionary Seksan Prasertkul, The Moonhunter; the jungle thriller Tigress of King River and The Seed (Duay Klao or ), a semi-documentary story of Isan
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
farmers hit by drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
who are saved by cloud seeding
Cloud seeding
Cloud seeding, a form of intentional weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud...
operations sponsored by King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
, as well as the Boonchu teen comedy series of the 1980s and 1990s.
Early career
After graduating from Assumption University in 1971, Bhandit became a journalist for The NationThe Nation (Thailand)
The Nation is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper founded in 1971 and published in Bangkok, Thailand, and is owned by the Nation Multimedia Group.The Nation is a member of the Asia News Network...
, an English language daily newspaper that had just been started by some Thai journalists. Among the stories he covered was 14 October 1973 uprising (see History of Thailand (1932-1973)
History of Thailand (1932-1973)
The history of Thailand from 1932 to 1973 was dominated by military dictatorships which were in power for much of the period. The main personalities of the period were the dictator Luang Phibunsongkhram , who allied the country with Japan during the Second World War, and the civilian politician...
).
In 1975, he became a film critic and screenwriter, which eventually led to a career as a director. He made his first film Khad Cheak, in 1984.
In 1987 he made Duay Klao (The Seed), a drama about a farmers in the north of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
hit by drought. The movie starred folksinger Jarun Manopetch and it won best picture and best actor honors at the Thailand National Film Awards. The Seed was remastered and re-released in 2006 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession
60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej
The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of HM The King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne 2006 The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of HM The King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne 2006 The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of HM The King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the...
of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
. This is the only Thai film
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
made to date to specifically address King Bhumibol's cloud seeding program. As well other Thai royal projects are depicted in the film. The re-released film also featured a new score of compositions by the king.
Other films by Bhandit include Classmates, which won best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1990; Miss You, winner of best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1993, and Once Upon a Time, the hit comedy film series Boonchoo. His drama, Kalla khrung nueng ... muea chao nee (Once Upon a Time ... This Morning), won awards for best director and best screenplay and was submitted as Thailand's Best Foreign Language Film for the 68th Academy Awards in 1995.
The Moonhunter
Bhandit became controversial in 2001 with the release of The Moonhunter (14 tula, songkram prachachon or 14 October: War of the People), a biographical film about 1970s Thammasat UniversityThammasat University
Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...
student activist and communist rebel Seksan Prasertkul
Seksan Prasertkul
Seksan Prasertkul is a Thai author who was awarded the title National Artist of Thailand in 2009.Son of fishing-boar builder and market vendor. Student leader at Thammasat University in 1973. Fled to jungle in 1976. Surrendered in 1980, and went to acquire a doctorate from Cornell University,...
, who co-wrote the screenplay. The English title refers to an episode when Seksan was fighting in the jungles of Thailand and, one night, startled by the rise of the moon, he fired his rifle at it.
The Censorship Board
Censorship in Thailand
Freedom of speech in Thailand was guaranteed in the articles 39, 40, 41 in the 1997 Constitution.According to those articles, censorship may be imposed to preserve national security, maintain public order, preserve the rights of others, protect public morals, and prevent criticism of the royal...
banned the film's trailer, which included stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
from 14 October 1973 student uprising, with soldiers and policemen beating up unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators. Bhandit then vowed to not release the film if the board made any cuts, but the board responded that Bhandit was simply using the censorship review process as a means of generating publicity for his film. As it turned out, the film was released without any cuts, a sign, Bhandit said, that Thai society was maturing.
The film was submitted by Thailand for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Subsequent films, the CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
-heavy The Tigress of King River, the science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, Ukkabat (Meteor) and the swashbuckling period film, The Magnificent Five generated neither controversy nor critical acclaim.
Despite health problems including diabetes and a heart attack, Bhandit continued to work.
"What else I can do? Run a noodle shop?" the director was quoted as saying by The Nation in 2006. "I have to work. I don't have much time because a director of my age is going to be out of fashion soon."
In 2008, he made a critical and commercial comeback with Boonchu 9, which revived his hit teen comedy series highlighting the clash of rural and urban cultures. In 2009, he released the teen romance A-Nueng Kidthueng Pen Yang Ying, reviving his earlier Miss You series.
He also directed Maha Nakorn, one of nine shorts by different directors in the Sawasdee Bangkok anthology. It premiered as the closing film on 30 September 2009 at the 2009 Bangkok International Film Festival, just one day before his death. He was also at work on Boonchu 10, which studio Five Star Production
Five Star Production
Five Star Production Co. Ltd. is a Thai film production company. It was founded in 1973 by Kiat Iamphungphorn and is today headed by his younger brother, Charoen Iamphungporn, and Kiat's children, Aphiradee and her younger brothers Kiatkamon and Kiattikul...
planned to go ahead and complete.
Partial filmography
- Khad Cheak (1984)
- Duay Klao (The Seed) (1987)
- Boonchoo
- Hong 2 Run 44 (Classmates) (1990)
- Kalla khrung nueng... muea chao nee (Once Upon a Time... This Morning) (1994)
- Satang (2000)
- 14 tula, songkram prachachon (The Moonhunter) (2001)
- sarb suer tii lum nam kasat (Tigress of King River) (2002)
- Chue chop chuan ha reung (2003)
- Ukkabat (The Meteor) (2004)
- Phra-dek-seua-kai-wawk (The Magnificent Five) (2006)
- My First Report (Short Films Project in Commemoration of the Celebration on the Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 2007)