‘Ten Years Thailand’ is an omnibus film inviting four directors to imagine their country a decade from now. The four are Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, and Chulayarnon Siriphol. Each contributes an episode that taken together sound a warning about the current political situation in Thailand. Since 2014, the country has been ruled by a military dictatorship that has curbed dissent, public expression, and creativity and diversity of thought. A new nationalism is now being promoted with its own narrow rules of correct thinking and correct actions. If this is allowed to continue, what will the decade ahead look like?
This project is a co-production between Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. It follows in the footsteps of the original Hong Kong film of the same name that was banned in China and controversially won Best Picture at the 2015 Hong Kong Film Awards.
The producers of the original film wanted to expand the concept to other Asian countries, in the belief that addressing our collective future is something that filmmakers of each country should do, and that each country has its own unique challenges that can be discussed through cinema.
Besides Thailand, ‘Ten Years’ films are currently being produced in Japan and Taiwan as well. Details are in the attached deck.