Jira Maligool
Encyclopedia
Jira Maligool is a Thai
film director
, screenwriter
and producer
. He's directed two films, Mekhong Full Moon Party
and The Tin Mine
, and was the screenwriter behind the international hit, The Iron Ladies
.
in 1961, Jira graduated in 1983 from Chulalongkorn University
Faculty of Communication Arts, where he majored in film and photography. While still a student, he worked as a music video and movie commercial director.
In 1991, he co-founded his own film studio, Hub Ho Hin. In 2003, it was merged with GMM Grammy
's film division and Tai Entertainment to form GMM Tai Hub (or GTH).
film, The Iron Ladies
(Satree lek), which was based on a true story about a gay
and transvestite (katoey) men's volleyball
team that won the Thailand national championship in 1996. That film went on to be a box-office hit in Thailand and has been a popular feature at international film festivals. It was directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun, who's gone on to direct a sequel to Iron Ladies as well as another comedy, M.A.I.D. and 2006's Metrosexual
.
Jira made his directorial debut in 2002
with Mekhong Full Moon Party
, which took a semi-documentary
look at the phenomenon of Naga fireballs
that arise from the Mekong
at Nong Khai
on the full moon
in October. The film was well received critically, and was a box-office hit as well. He said he was inspired to make the film after reading a magazine article that featured a debate about the fireballs, with a university instructor believing the fireballs were manmade while a physician thought they were a supernatural phenonmenon.
(My Girl), a nostaglic look at childhood in 1980s Thailand. The film's ensemble of six directors - Komgrit Treewimol, Songyos Sugmakanan
, Nithiwat Tharathorn
, Vijja Kojew, Vithaya Thongyuyong and Adisorn Tresirikasem - were students of Jira, who taught as a part-time professor in photography and cinematography classes at Chulalongkorn University. Two of those directors, Komgrit and Songyos, went on to direct hit films, Komgrit helming the romantic comedy Dear Dakanda in 2005
and Songyos with the hit 2006
thriller Dek hor
(Dorm).
Jira's second directorial effort, The Tin Mine
was a lavish production about a tin mine in southern Thailand in the 1950s. It was based on the short stories of Thai author Archin Panjabhan, who served as an adviser on the production. The film fared poorly at the Thai box office, but it has won several awards and has been featured at international film festivals.
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
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He's directed two films, Mekhong Full Moon Party
Mekhong Full Moon Party
Mekhong Full Moon Party is a 2002 Thai comedy-drama about the Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October...
and The Tin Mine
The Tin Mine
The Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
, and was the screenwriter behind the international hit, The Iron Ladies
The Iron Ladies (film)
The Iron Ladies is a Thai comedy film from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey athletes...
.
Early career
Born in ThailandThailand
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...
in 1961, Jira graduated in 1983 from Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
Faculty of Communication Arts, where he majored in film and photography. While still a student, he worked as a music video and movie commercial director.
In 1991, he co-founded his own film studio, Hub Ho Hin. In 2003, it was merged with GMM Grammy
GMM Grammy
GMM Grammy Public Company Limited is the largest media conglomerate entertainment company in Thailand. It claims a 70% share of the Thai entertainment industry. Artists on Grammy include Bird McIntyre and Loso...
's film division and Tai Entertainment to form GMM Tai Hub (or GTH).
First features
Jira started out in feature films as the screenwriter for the 20002000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
film, The Iron Ladies
The Iron Ladies (film)
The Iron Ladies is a Thai comedy film from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey athletes...
(Satree lek), which was based on a true story about a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and transvestite (katoey) men's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team that won the Thailand national championship in 1996. That film went on to be a box-office hit in Thailand and has been a popular feature at international film festivals. It was directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun, who's gone on to direct a sequel to Iron Ladies as well as another comedy, M.A.I.D. and 2006's Metrosexual
Metrosexual (film)
Metrosexual is a 2006 Thai romantic-comedy about four women who believe their best friend is about to marry a man who is gay. The film was directed by Yongyooth Thongkongtoon, who also directed The Iron Ladies...
.
Jira made his directorial debut in 2002
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
with Mekhong Full Moon Party
Mekhong Full Moon Party
Mekhong Full Moon Party is a 2002 Thai comedy-drama about the Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October...
, which took a semi-documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
look at the phenomenon of Naga fireballs
Naga fireballs
The Naga fireballs , also referred to as Mekong lights, are a phenomenon seen in the Mekong river—in Thailand and in Laos —in which glowing balls rise from the water high into the air...
that arise from the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
at Nong Khai
Nong Khai
Nong Khai is a city in North-East Thailand and is the capital of the Nong Khai Province...
on the full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
in October. The film was well received critically, and was a box-office hit as well. He said he was inspired to make the film after reading a magazine article that featured a debate about the fireballs, with a university instructor believing the fireballs were manmade while a physician thought they were a supernatural phenonmenon.
Hit producer
He also was behind the hit 2003 film, Fan ChanFan Chan
Fan Chan is a 2003 Thai romantic film offering a nostalgic look back at the childhood friendship of a boy and girl growing up in a small town in Thailand in the 1980s. It was the debut film by six young screenwriter-directors, Vitcha Gojiew, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharathorn, Witthaya...
(My Girl), a nostaglic look at childhood in 1980s Thailand. The film's ensemble of six directors - Komgrit Treewimol, Songyos Sugmakanan
Songyos Sugmakanan
- Filmography :* My Elephant - short film* Fan Chan - co-directed* Dorm * Hormones...
, Nithiwat Tharathorn
Nithiwat Tharathorn
Nithiwat Tharathorn is a Thai film director. He made his directorial debut alongside five other directors on the 2003 childhood romantic comedy Fan Chan and his solo debut with the romantic comedy Seasons Change in 2006.-External links:...
, Vijja Kojew, Vithaya Thongyuyong and Adisorn Tresirikasem - were students of Jira, who taught as a part-time professor in photography and cinematography classes at Chulalongkorn University. Two of those directors, Komgrit and Songyos, went on to direct hit films, Komgrit helming the romantic comedy Dear Dakanda in 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
and Songyos with the hit 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
thriller Dek hor
Dek hor
Dek hor is a 2006 Thai horror-drama film.-Plot:In Thailand, young Ton Chatree is sent to a boarding school by his father to get good grades and not tell his mother about his father having an affair. Once in the school, Ton feels like an outcast and misses his family and friends...
(Dorm).
Jira's second directorial effort, The Tin Mine
The Tin Mine
The Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
was a lavish production about a tin mine in southern Thailand in the 1950s. It was based on the short stories of Thai author Archin Panjabhan, who served as an adviser on the production. The film fared poorly at the Thai box office, but it has won several awards and has been featured at international film festivals.
Director
- Mekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon Party is a 2002 Thai comedy-drama about the Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October...
(20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) - The Tin MineThe Tin MineThe Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
(Maha'lai muang rae) (20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
)
Producer
- Fan ChanFan ChanFan Chan is a 2003 Thai romantic film offering a nostalgic look back at the childhood friendship of a boy and girl growing up in a small town in Thailand in the 1980s. It was the debut film by six young screenwriter-directors, Vitcha Gojiew, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharathorn, Witthaya...
(My Girl) (20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
) - The Iron Ladies 2 (Satree lek 2) (2003)
- Jaew M.A.I.D.: Mission Almost Impossible Done (20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - The Tin MineThe Tin MineThe Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
(Maha'lai muang rae) (20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
) - Dear Dakanda (Peun sanit) (2005)
- Dek horDek horDek hor is a 2006 Thai horror-drama film.-Plot:In Thailand, young Ton Chatree is sent to a boarding school by his father to get good grades and not tell his mother about his father having an affair. Once in the school, Ton feels like an outcast and misses his family and friends...
(Dorm) (20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
)
Screenwriter
- The Iron LadiesThe Iron Ladies (film)The Iron Ladies is a Thai comedy film from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey athletes...
(Satree lek) (20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) - Mekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon Party is a 2002 Thai comedy-drama about the Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October...
(20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) - The Tin MineThe Tin MineThe Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
(Maha'lai muang rae]] (20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
)
Cinematographer
- The Iron LadiesThe Iron Ladies (film)The Iron Ladies is a Thai comedy film from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey athletes...
(Satree lek) (20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) - The Iron Ladies 2 (Satree lek 2) (20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
)
Awards and nominations
- Winner, FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize, 2003 Hong Kong International Film FestivalHong Kong International Film FestivalThe Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...
, Mekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon PartyMekhong Full Moon Party is a 2002 Thai comedy-drama about the Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October...
. - Winner, best director and best screenplay, 2002 Thailand National Film Awards, Mekhong Full Moon Party.
- Thailand's official selection, Best Foreign Language Film, 78th Academy Awards78th Academy AwardsThe 78th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2005 and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, with Tom Kane making his first appearance as the show's announcer...
, The Tin MineThe Tin MineThe Tin Mine is a 2005 Thai biographical drama film directed by Jira Maligool. It is adapted from short stories by Ajin Panjapan and his semi-autobiographical account of growing up in a mining camp in southern Thailand during the post-World War II years...
. - Winner, best picture and best director, 2005 Thailand National Film Awards, The Tin Mine.
- Winner, best film, 2005 Bangkok Critic Assembly, The Tin Mine.