Ekachai Uekrongtham is a Thai

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...

 theatre and film director. Based in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, Ekachai is the founding artistic director of ACTION Theatre, a Singapore professional theatre company.

Among his stage works is Chang & Eng

Chang & Eng

Chang & Eng is a Singaporean musical theatre production directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham based on the lives of the Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker. The music and lyrics were by Ken Low, with the book by Ming Wong, costumes by Niphon Tuntiyothin, set design by Thoranisorn Pitikul, lighting by...

, a musical based on Chang and Eng Bunker

Chang and Eng Bunker

Chang and Eng Bunker were the conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term "Siamese twins".-Life:...

, the original "Siamese twins

Conjoined twins

Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...

". His other stage works include Corporate Animals - The Musical, Ka-Ra-you-OK?, Viva Viagra!, Autumn Tomyam, Mail Order Brides & Other Oriental Takeaways and Confessions of Three Unmarried Women.

He made his debut as a feature-film director in 2003 with Beautiful Boxer

Beautiful Boxer

Beautiful Boxer is a Thai biographical sports film by Singapore-based director Ekachai Uekrongtham. It tells the life story of Nong Thoom, a famous kathoey , Muay Thai fighter, actress and model...

, a biographical drama about transsexual professional Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

 boxer, Nong Thoom

Nong Thoom

Parinya Kiatbusaba or Parinya Jaroenphon , more popularly known as Nong Thoom, Nong Toom or Nong Tum , is arguably the best-known kathoey in Thailand. She is a former Muay Thai champion and has also worked as a model and actress.- Early Life :As a child, she was already aware of her female...

. His second film, Pleasure Factory

Pleasure Factory

Pleasure Factory is a 2007 docudrama film set in Geylang, the red-light district of Singapore. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the film was selected for the Un Certain Regard competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival....

, about sex workers and their customers in Singapore's Geylang

Geylang

Geylang is a neighbourhood in the city-state of Singapore east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is located to the east of the Singapore River, an area that locals have associated, from the days of Sir Stamford Raffles, as a Malay kampong opposite facing two islands...

 red-light district

Red-light district

A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...

, was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. His third film, The Coffin, starring Ananda Everingham

Ananda Everingham

Ananda Everingham is a Laotian-Australian film actor who was born in Thailand. Working primarily in Thai films, he is best known for his lead role in the 2004 horror film, Shutter.-Biography:...

, opened in Thai theaters on August 21, 2008.

External links

• ACTION Theatre