Poj Arnon
Encyclopedia
Career
Poj began his career in the 1980s as an advertising sales manager for Ter-Kab-Chan Magazine, eventually becoming the magazine's chief editor. His work on the magazine enabled him to scout out and groom many of the Thai teen movie stars of the era.He started working in the Thai film industry
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...
in 1992, working as an assistant director for Sa-Daew-Haew by 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...
. He made his directorial debut in 1995 with Crazy, which was about a character from a Chinese martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
television series who finds himself in the real world of modern-day 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...
. Next was Bullet Teen (1998), a drama about four troubled urban youths. Go-Six, his 2000 romantic drama about a love triangle involving a young man and two women was scandalous at the time because of the ambiguous sexuality of one of the women character. Poj returned to the scene in 2003 with Cheerleader Queens
Cheerleader Queens
Cheerleader Queens is a 2003 Thai film directed by Poj Arnon.- Plot :Four kathoey—Mod, Som, Kam-pang and Wa-wa—move from a rural town to attend St. Mary's High School in Bangkok. Once there they try to join the school's cheerleading team, only to be rejected because of their sexuality...
, about a group of teenage Thai transvestites, or kathoey
Kathoey
Kathoey or katoey is a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. Related phrases include sao praphet song , or phet thi sam . The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin...
, who become high school cheerleaders
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
.
In 2004, he shifted to RS Film, again tackling kathoeys with the crime comedy Spicy Beauty Queen of Bangkok, starring Winai Kraibutr
Winai Kraibutr
Winai Kraibutr is a Thai actor. He has appeared in a number of films that have achieved significant success at the Thai box office. He is considered a bankable star in Thailand and has achieved minor international exposure through the international release of Bang Rajan...
as the leader of a gang of transvestite bank robbers.
He next moved to Sahamongkol Film International
Sahamongkol Film International
Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. is a Thai motion picture production and distribution company. It is the leading movie company in Thailand, ahead of GMM Grammy's GMM Tai Hub, Five Star Production and...
to direct the childhood drama Beautiful Wonderful Perfect, about a girl who befriends a boy with Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
. Also entitled Er rer, the film was critically acclaimed in Thailand and was screened at overseas film festivals. His followup was an action comedy, Chai Lai
Chai Lai
Chai Lai is a 2006 Thai action film about five female top-secret crimefighters, each with the codename of a flower, Lotus, Hibiscus, Rose, Spadix and Crown of Thorns...
, about five female crimefighters.
Poj was back with Five Star Production in 2007, for Haunting Me
Haunting Me
Haunting Me is a 2007 Thai horror-comedy film directed by Poj Arnon. In this movie, four drag queens attempt to exorcise ghosts.-External links:*...
, a comedy horror film about a three aging kathoeys battling ghosts in their apartment building.
Filmography
- Crazy (19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
) - Bullet Teen (19981998 in film-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
) - Go-Six (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 ....
) - Cheerleader QueensCheerleader QueensCheerleader Queens is a 2003 Thai film directed by Poj Arnon.- Plot :Four kathoey—Mod, Som, Kam-pang and Wa-wa—move from a rural town to attend St. Mary's High School in Bangkok. Once there they try to join the school's cheerleading team, only to be rejected because of their sexuality...
(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,...
) - Spicy Beauty Queen of Bangkok (Plon naya) (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...
) - Beautiful Wonderful Perfect (Er rer) (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...
) - Chai LaiChai LaiChai Lai is a 2006 Thai action film about five female top-secret crimefighters, each with the codename of a flower, Lotus, Hibiscus, Rose, Spadix and Crown of Thorns...
(Dangerous Flowers) (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...
) - Haunting MeHaunting MeHaunting Me is a 2007 Thai horror-comedy film directed by Poj Arnon. In this movie, four drag queens attempt to exorcise ghosts.-External links:*...
(Hortaewtak) (20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top 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 USA in 2007...
) - Bangkok Love StoryBangkok Love StoryBangkok Love Story is a 2007 Thai film written and directed by Poj Arnon. A gay romantic crime action drama, it is the story of a man who falls in love with a gunman assigned to kill him.-Plot:...
(2007) - The IntruderThe Intruder (2010 film)The Intruder is a 2010 Thai horror film directed by Thanadol Nualsuth and Thammanoon Sakulboonthanom. Based on a story by filmmaker Poj Arnon, the plot involves an apartment complex in Thailand being overrun by vicious cobras....
(2010) (producer and story writer)