Widely regarded as the leader of the ‘new wave’, Nonzee “Oui” Nimibutr, visited the island to deliver a talk to aspiring movie directors and cinema buffs at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU).
Though Phuket will – due to its size and population – always have a smaller talent pool than Bangkok, the island and the surrounding region has remained consistently popular as a set for shooting.
Global blockbusters made here include The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974, Leo DiCaprio vehicle The Beach, and Star Wars III (though there was no filming, principal photography was shot here).
However, apart from martial arts masterpiece Ong Bak, and The Pang Brother’s original Bangkok Dangerous (not to be confused with the dire 2008 Nicholas Cage remake), which Oui produced, Thailand’s movies and directors have not yet been able to break into the wider international market.
Mr Oui’s passion for directing began when he was studying Fine Arts in Silpakorn University, when he helped a friend at another university to make a documentary film.
After completing his degree, the Bangkok-born graduate went back to Silpakorn and asked the Fine Arts Faculty to start a Film Studies course. Then he and his friend became the first to enroll.
In Phuket, Mr Oui told the packed-out lecture room at PSU that after finishing his studies he earned incredibly valuable work experience in the advertisement industry, “enhancing his creativity skill”.
It was during this time that he had his first big success with a remake of classic Thai horror movie Nang Nak in 1999.
“That was a very successful movie for me. It has been 15 years since it was released, but the film still keeps traveling around the world,” Mr Oui said.
Later on came critically-acclaimed erotic drama Jan Dara, which reflected on the sexual problems endured by a young man with mental illness.
With its complicated issues, this became the talk of the town when it was released in 2001. The sequel, which Mr Oui was not involved with, was just released.
His two other hugely successfully movies to date have been Bang Rajan, a historical drama, and the original Thai version of Bangkok Dangerous.
Mr Oui was quick to dispense advice to those assembled, and said that the key to creating good movies was reading plenty of books and watching a lot of movies.
“Pen-Ek Ratanaruang is one of my icons as a director. He is also my friend. Once I asked him how many books he reads per week and how many movies he watched per day, and then I went and read and watched twice as many.”
In reference to Thailand’s place in the Asian film industry, he says he is confident that it is well-respected, but admits that it could still be bigger and better.
“In the eyes of neighbouring countries, Thailand has a good film industry. However, we still have to widen our market, and increase our audience.
“Nowadays, most movies we have are aimed at teenagers. We should have movies that appeal to every age range, and have titles in every genre including action, comedy, drama or even erotic,” he said.
Comparing the state of the Thai film industry today with that of a decade ago, Mr Oui said that production quality had improved, but the variety of movies had shrunk, along with profits.
“The Thai film industry has stepped back if we talk about profits and diversity, as people go to the cinema less often than before.
“Movies nowadays have a narrower target audience, but the technique of production, including the equipment, graphics and music has improved,” he said.
However, he believes the future of Thai cinema lies with independent filmmakers – not only in Bangkok, but in the provinces, such as Phuket.
“There are a lot of them already and their numbers keep increasing.”
Mr Oui is currently working on romantic comedy ‘Jod Mai Rak II’ (The Second Letter)’.