Cinema of Thailand |
---|
![]() |
List of Thai films |
Actresses |
Male actors |
Film directors |
Horror films |
Queer films |
Cinemas in Thailand |
Films shot in Thailand |
Dozens of foreign films have been shot in Thailand, with the kingdom either playing itself or standing in for a neighboring country, such as Vietnam or Cambodia.
The availability of elephants, exotic jungle and beach settings, relatively low production costs, and a mature domestic film industry that provides a legion of experienced crew members, have made Thailand an attractive location for many Hollywood films and other foreign productions.
Films set in Thailand include Around the World in 80 Days, The Big Boss, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Beach. And Thailand has been used as a stand-in setting for such Vietnam War-era films as The Deer Hunter; Good Morning, Vietnam; Casualties of War; and The Killing Fields.
In addition to providing work for Thai film crews and extras (including the Royal Thai Army), films that use Thailand as a location help Thailand promote itself as a tourist destination. As a result, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is keenly interested in attracting production companies to make films in the Kingdom.
Film makers have been criticized for damaging the Thai environment. The island used to depict the villain's hideout in The Man with the Golden Gun is now a major draw for tourism operators in Phuket's Phang Nga Bay. Environmentalists also protested the filming of The Beach, in which the film crew made alterations to Maya Bay that were viewed as damaging.
Hollywood has played an important role in the development of Thailand's film industry. One of the first feature films made in Thailand, 1923's Miss Suwanna of Siam, was a Hollywood co-production, made with the royal assistance of King Vajiravudh, who gave the production free use of his 52 automobiles, 600 horses, use of the Royal Thai Navy, the Grand Palace, the railways, the rice mills, rice fields, coconut groves, canals and elephants.[ citation needed]
The 1927 documentary, Chang, by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, was made in Thailand.
In recent years, even the Bollywood film industry has chosen Thailand as location.
In 2018, 714 foreign productions—documentaries, TV dramas, series, advertising, short films, and feature films—were shot in Thailand. In the first six months of 2019, 410 productions were shot in Thailand contributing 3.5 billion baht to the economy according to the Thailand Film Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). [1]
At the 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016 Thailand introduced a cash rebate policy for foreign films shot in Thailand. It took effect in January 2017. The program grants a 15% tax rebate for foreign film productions that spend more than 50 million baht. Incentives increase by 2% for films that promote Thai tourism and another 3% for hiring key Thai personnel on set. Filmed advertisements are not eligible for the program. [1]
Release year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2010 | The Prince and Me 4: The Elephant Adventure | It is a sequel to The Prince and Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon. |
2010 | Shanghai | Completed filming in 2008, but not released theatrically in China until 2010. [11] |
2011 | The Hangover Part II | Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. |
2012 | The Impossible | The story of a tourist family vacationing in Khao Lak caught up in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. |
2012 | The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption | The third installment of The Scorpion King film series. [12] |
2012 | Lost in Thailand | Chinese comedy about a tourist and two competitive scientists searching for their boss. |
2013 | Only God Forgives | Nicolas Winding Refn film starring Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas. Set in Bangkok. [2] |
2013 | The Railway Man | British–Australian drama film, based on the memoirs of Eric Lomax, a British officer captured by the Japanese and forced to work on the railway. The film was partly filmed around Kanchanaburi Province. |
2013 | Patong Girl | Boys meets girl with a twist. Award-winning film by Susanna Salonen |
2014 | Siam–Burma Death Railway | A documentary about the Asian labourers (Indian Tamils, Burmese, and Javanese) who worked like slaves on the Siam (Thailand) – Burma death railway line during World War II. |
2015 | No Escape | An action movie filmed in Thailand released by the Weinstein Co. The film is based on a fictional story of an American family trying to escape a fictitious coup in an unidentified country in Southeast Asia. Principal actors include Pierce Brosnan, Lake Bell, and Owen Wilson. |
2016 | The Forest | Directed by Paul Spurrier. [2] |
2016 | Bangkok Nites | Part of the filming was done in Soi Thaniya, the japanese red district from Bangkok. Other part was shot in Isan. |
2017 | Pop-Aye | Singapore film directed by Kirsten Tan. The story of a man who strives to return an elephant to its birthplace. [2] |
2019 | Paradise Beach | A French film about French gangsters who flee to Phuket after robbing a bank and getting away with 2.4 million euros. |
2019 | Changeland | Seth Green's directorial debut was shot on-location in Thailand. [13] |
Release year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2020 | Da 5 Bloods | Spike Lee's war film was shot primarily in Chiang Mai. [14] |
2020 | Tremors: Shrieker Island | Don Michael Paul's monster film was shot in Thailand. [15] [16] |
2021 | Infinite | The science fiction action film directed by Antoine Fuqua was shot in Thailand. [17] |
2022 | Fistful of Vengeance | Roel Reiné's supernatural action film was shot in Thailand. [18] [19] |
Several films have been set in Thailand, but were made elsewhere. These include:
Cinema of Thailand |
---|
![]() |
List of Thai films |
Actresses |
Male actors |
Film directors |
Horror films |
Queer films |
Cinemas in Thailand |
Films shot in Thailand |
Dozens of foreign films have been shot in Thailand, with the kingdom either playing itself or standing in for a neighboring country, such as Vietnam or Cambodia.
The availability of elephants, exotic jungle and beach settings, relatively low production costs, and a mature domestic film industry that provides a legion of experienced crew members, have made Thailand an attractive location for many Hollywood films and other foreign productions.
Films set in Thailand include Around the World in 80 Days, The Big Boss, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Beach. And Thailand has been used as a stand-in setting for such Vietnam War-era films as The Deer Hunter; Good Morning, Vietnam; Casualties of War; and The Killing Fields.
In addition to providing work for Thai film crews and extras (including the Royal Thai Army), films that use Thailand as a location help Thailand promote itself as a tourist destination. As a result, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is keenly interested in attracting production companies to make films in the Kingdom.
Film makers have been criticized for damaging the Thai environment. The island used to depict the villain's hideout in The Man with the Golden Gun is now a major draw for tourism operators in Phuket's Phang Nga Bay. Environmentalists also protested the filming of The Beach, in which the film crew made alterations to Maya Bay that were viewed as damaging.
Hollywood has played an important role in the development of Thailand's film industry. One of the first feature films made in Thailand, 1923's Miss Suwanna of Siam, was a Hollywood co-production, made with the royal assistance of King Vajiravudh, who gave the production free use of his 52 automobiles, 600 horses, use of the Royal Thai Navy, the Grand Palace, the railways, the rice mills, rice fields, coconut groves, canals and elephants.[ citation needed]
The 1927 documentary, Chang, by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, was made in Thailand.
In recent years, even the Bollywood film industry has chosen Thailand as location.
In 2018, 714 foreign productions—documentaries, TV dramas, series, advertising, short films, and feature films—were shot in Thailand. In the first six months of 2019, 410 productions were shot in Thailand contributing 3.5 billion baht to the economy according to the Thailand Film Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). [1]
At the 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016 Thailand introduced a cash rebate policy for foreign films shot in Thailand. It took effect in January 2017. The program grants a 15% tax rebate for foreign film productions that spend more than 50 million baht. Incentives increase by 2% for films that promote Thai tourism and another 3% for hiring key Thai personnel on set. Filmed advertisements are not eligible for the program. [1]
Release year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2010 | The Prince and Me 4: The Elephant Adventure | It is a sequel to The Prince and Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon. |
2010 | Shanghai | Completed filming in 2008, but not released theatrically in China until 2010. [11] |
2011 | The Hangover Part II | Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. |
2012 | The Impossible | The story of a tourist family vacationing in Khao Lak caught up in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. |
2012 | The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption | The third installment of The Scorpion King film series. [12] |
2012 | Lost in Thailand | Chinese comedy about a tourist and two competitive scientists searching for their boss. |
2013 | Only God Forgives | Nicolas Winding Refn film starring Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas. Set in Bangkok. [2] |
2013 | The Railway Man | British–Australian drama film, based on the memoirs of Eric Lomax, a British officer captured by the Japanese and forced to work on the railway. The film was partly filmed around Kanchanaburi Province. |
2013 | Patong Girl | Boys meets girl with a twist. Award-winning film by Susanna Salonen |
2014 | Siam–Burma Death Railway | A documentary about the Asian labourers (Indian Tamils, Burmese, and Javanese) who worked like slaves on the Siam (Thailand) – Burma death railway line during World War II. |
2015 | No Escape | An action movie filmed in Thailand released by the Weinstein Co. The film is based on a fictional story of an American family trying to escape a fictitious coup in an unidentified country in Southeast Asia. Principal actors include Pierce Brosnan, Lake Bell, and Owen Wilson. |
2016 | The Forest | Directed by Paul Spurrier. [2] |
2016 | Bangkok Nites | Part of the filming was done in Soi Thaniya, the japanese red district from Bangkok. Other part was shot in Isan. |
2017 | Pop-Aye | Singapore film directed by Kirsten Tan. The story of a man who strives to return an elephant to its birthplace. [2] |
2019 | Paradise Beach | A French film about French gangsters who flee to Phuket after robbing a bank and getting away with 2.4 million euros. |
2019 | Changeland | Seth Green's directorial debut was shot on-location in Thailand. [13] |
Release year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2020 | Da 5 Bloods | Spike Lee's war film was shot primarily in Chiang Mai. [14] |
2020 | Tremors: Shrieker Island | Don Michael Paul's monster film was shot in Thailand. [15] [16] |
2021 | Infinite | The science fiction action film directed by Antoine Fuqua was shot in Thailand. [17] |
2022 | Fistful of Vengeance | Roel Reiné's supernatural action film was shot in Thailand. [18] [19] |
Several films have been set in Thailand, but were made elsewhere. These include: