As a seasoned movie critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I have witnessed the ebb and flow of film industries across the globe. The presentation by “Adam” Chalermchatri Yukol at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest has left me both hopeful and cautiously optimistic for Thailand’s film industry.
On Tuesday, officials at The Taiwan Creative Content Fest learned that Thailand plans to enhance its location production rebate system by raising it to a 30% refund on eligible expenses, an increase from the current 20%. Additionally, they were informed that $6.7 million in new funding has been allocated for the period from this year to October next year.
During an extensive and comprehensive discussion on Thailand’s anticipated soft power strategies, “Adam” Chalermchatri Yukol pledged to two commitments. As the head of the film and series subcommittee within THACCA, the National Soft Power Committee of Thailand, Yukol made these promises.
THACCA encompasses 11 diverse creative fields, including fashion, Muay Thai boxing, and film. Its primary goal is to foster economic change within the cultural industries by aligning the efforts of various government departments and implementing coordinated policies. Additionally, it aims to facilitate greater collaboration between public and private sectors.
Progress in Thailand is painfully gradual, and it’s unlikely that the required legislation will be finalized or that THACCA will become fully operational before 2027. During this transitional phase, relevant committees can begin working on reform initiatives.
A promise was made earlier to boost location incentives by a significant 30%, making them more competitive on a global scale. However, this legislation was only approved by Thailand’s cabinet in February 2023, and since then, there has been a change in government. Unfortunately, the necessary approvals for this enhancement have not yet been finalized.
Following a comparable talk in Tokyo last week, Yukol informed EbMaster that the 30% discount would now be finalized by the end of this year. He emphasized that this promise was to be taken seriously by him.
In Taipei, Yukol proposed that film policies should be structured upon four key foundations: fostering collaboration among content creators for production; attracting investment from both local and international sources, such as government entities, private sectors, and overseas investors, by facilitating bank loans for films and establishing co-production funding; promoting audience growth to stimulate re-investment; and enhancing the efficiency of government agencies. He also mentioned that Thailand unfortunately has one of the highest levels of corruption in the global landscape.
It seems that nearly every sector in Thailand is experiencing significant changes as part of the ongoing reform process. Yukol, in particular, has outlined a series of objectives for various timeframes – short-, medium- and long-term.
In the near future, he advocated for: expanding one-stop filming permit locations across the country (from the current four cities); passing a Film Bill by the end of this year; creating a fund for creators; supporting the formation of trade and industry guilds; offering location incentives; tax breaks on imported equipment; and enhancing workplace safety measures.
The medium-term reform program should cover financial support for the development of ‘micro-cinemas’ which would show art-house and specialty films; co-production incentives (by 2026); international promotion; event improvement; workforce development; establishment of a Thai Film Council, which would centralize all film policy, equipment skills testing, the launch of a location promotion event; and the revival of a national film festival, which Yukol referred to as the Bangkok Film Festival. A previous state-backed Bangkok film festival collapsed following a corruption scandal.
In the long run, objectives involve:
Yukol further advocated for relaxing film censorship, improving award ceremonies, and promoting movies that focus on the LGBTQ community. Thailand is well-known for producing popular content centered around ‘boys’ love,’ also known as BL television shows.
Information about the potential distribution of the $6.7 million for content will likely be shared over the coming two weeks or so.
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2024-11-05 16:46