KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand is keen to expand its cinematic collaboration with Malaysia, involving both the public and private sectors, said Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia Lada Phumas.
She said that Thailand's Foreign Ministry and the Royal Thai Embassy have prioritised promoting the country's entertainment content through film.
"We look forward to forging meaningful connections and exploring the exciting future of film production together," she said during a special talk on 'IGNITE THAILAND': A Premier Destination for High Profile Film Production in conjunction with Malaysia's Thai Film Festival 2024 here, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman, Datuk Kamil Othman, said a film can reach a bigger market when it moves beyond one country, as no single country can benefit from going solo.
"Collaboration can create better synergy and among the possibilities that can be considered include remaking Thai movies into Malaysian movies," he said.
Meanwhile, Chalermchatri Yukol, a member of Thailand's National Soft Power and Strategy Committee and a panelist at the talk, said collaboration between Malaysian and Thai film producers could be a good platform for creating Asean film products.
Other panelists in the talk included Thai singer and actor Pakorn Lam, and Malaysian actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer Nasrul Suhaimin Saifuddin, known by his stage name Bront Palarae.
Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Embassy Kuala Lumpur in its statement earlier, said the Thai Film Festival this year themed "Local Talents to Global Contents" convened with the IGNITE THAILAND special talk.
A total of 20 free public screenings of five Thai films will be held from Aug 16 to 18 at four selected Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) locations namely Mid Valley, 1 Utama, My Town, and IOI City Mall, Putrajaya.
Five Thai films of various genres that will be screened during the festival are The Undertaker (comedy-horror), Not Friends (coming-of-age-comedy-drama), Daeng (comedy-horror), Haunted Tales (horror) and Mantra Warrior: The Legend of The Eight Moons (animation).
According to the statement, the Royal Thai Embassy here has been organising the Thai Film Festival in Malaysia since 2017, with a commitment to promoting cultural exchange and fostering an understanding of the Thai culture among the Malaysian public through the lenses of film, thus contributing to the strengthened ties and long-lasting friendship of the two countries.
Thai Film Festival 2024 embraces the government of Thailand's "Ignite Thailand" vision with a view of transforming the country into a global industrial hub, particularly in the area of creative content and tourism, while seeking to foster closer, mutually beneficial partnerships between Thai and Malaysia film industries, said the statement.