Tickets:
- Individual: $7 members/$10 nonmembers
- Series: $45 members; $70 nonmembers

For tickets and information call the Asia Society box office at (212) 517-ASIA

The films included are from the United States and Thailand, covering the perspectives of Thais and non-Thais with a connection to Thai culture. The issues that resonate in these films are Thai political history, social issues, activism, mythology and "Thai-ness".

The April 3rd pre-opening features an eclectic mix of short films that highlights the burgeoning talent of Thai filmmaking. They deal with a variety of general themes with compelling twists: love and loss, life and death, poignant relationships. Some ominous realities of the social condition are also covered. The experimental film Pick Up by Patana Chirawong eloquently touches on one of Thailand's most difficult issues: its de-humanizing commercial sex industry. The thought-provoking short film Motorcycle by Asitya Assarat struggles to reconcile the consequences of city life as it encroaches on the rural life left behind. Thai talent has also hit the shores of the United States with a selection of experimental shorts made in New York and California, from Lawan Jirasuradej's poetic artistry, Painted Earth, to Napuss Taleangcapun's hip music video, Trippin'.

The opening night of April 4th will feature Thailand's entry for the Academy Awards 2003, Mon-rak Transistor. This Thai film winningly combines a tale of love with musical comedy and social commentary. It is the third feature film of director Pen-ek Ratanaruang who is often referred to as the fresh voice of Thai cinema.

Closing the film series is Jira Maligool's first feature film, Mekong Full Moon Party, a comedy that takes on a famous and contested mysterious annual phenomenon in the northeastern Nong Khai region of Thailand: the "Naga's Fireballs" that emerge from the Mekong River, attracting 200,000 tourists. The people of Nong Khai believe in the legend that the Naga releases the fireballs to worship the Lord Buddha at the end of Buddhist Lent, coinciding with the first full moon night of the 11th
lunar month.

The wonderful list of New York premieres in the landmark Thai Takes series includes: Isan Special Mekhong Full Moon Party, The Moonhunter, and My Teacher Eats Biscuits. Also premiering is the exceptional documentary, Farang Ba (Crazy Foreigner), made by the American boxer and filmmaker John Sullivan. The story unfolds about a middle-aged corporate attorney who turns to amateur boxing in order to battle cancer. The film touches on cross-cultural respect and champions the strength of the will and spirit.

Thursday, April 3, 7:00 p.m. Thai Shorts

Short films dealing with a variety of subjects ranging from tales of love and loss, profound questions of life and death, touching relationships between children and adults, and the brutal realities of Thailand's sex industry.

• Colorblind/Banjong Pisanthanakun/2002/13 min./video
• A Little Dad/Tavepong Pratoomwong/2002/13 min./video
• My Elephant/Songyos Sugmakanan/2002/11 min./video
• The Tree/Wasan Reawklang/2002/10 min./video
• Dog & God/Saranyoo Chiralak/2002/9 min./video
• Old Woman and a Tale/Nitivat Cholvanichsiri/2002/13 min./video
• Pick Up/Patana Chirawong /2002/ 10 min./video
• Motorcycle/Aditya Assarat/2000/14 min./video
• Waiting/Aditya Assarat/14 min./video

Friday, April 4, 7:00 p.m.

• Mon-rak Transistor (A Transistor Love Story)/Pen-ek Ratanaruang/2001/115 min.

This is a bittersweet tale of young lovers separated by circumstance, blending rural Thailand and congested Bangkok. Pan is a young man with a great love for music, never missing a chance to show off his voice at temple fairs in his village. It is at one of the fairs that he meets and falls in love with Sadaw. On their wedding day Pan gives Sadaw a transistor radio that the new family loves, and it also gives Pan many a daydream of becoming a famous singer himself. He heads for Bangkok to follow his dream, but things go from bad to worse, as he recalls his transistor radio and more peaceful times. Thai entry for the Academy Awards 2003.

Saturday, April 5, 1:00 p.m.

• The Moonhunter/Bhandit Rittakol/2001/107 min.

Set against the dramatic events of the October 1973 demonstrations against Thailand's then ruling military regime, this tense political thriller tells the story of Seksan Prasertkul, a student activist at Thammasat University who lead crowds in passionate protest. The students realize they have to leave Bangkok and head for the forests, dreaming of a victorious return to the city. They soon discover that corrupt politics, foreign interference and power struggles are standing between them and their ideals. New York Premiere. The film will be followed by a discussion.

Saturday, April 5, 5:00 p.m.

• The Iron Ladies/Yongyoot Thongkongtoon/2000/104 min.

This film tells the true story of a Thai male volleyball team, consisting mostly of gays, transvestites and transsexuals, competing in the national championships in 1996. Best friends Mon and Jung, are very talented players who constantly fail to be selected for various teams because they are gay. When they are finally selected, some of the more macho players resign in protest. In order to form a team, the coach asks Mon to find a few of his gay friends to join the team who, as underdogs, have to fight their way to success. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at the San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and the New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Saturday, April 5, 8:00 p.m.

• My Teacher Eats Biscuits/Ing K/1997/120 min.

Conceived as a John Water-esque black comedy satirizing cults, this feature centers around Victor Strong, America's top cult investigator, who is sent to Bangkok to rescue a woman and her new-born child from the Ashram of Boundless Love. Once there, Strong finds an unusual cult founded by three gurus, which worships a street dog named Mi Kwai. Strong's plan is simple ­ he'll infiltrate the cult, collect some incriminating evidence and expose the cult as a huge fraud. However, this case is unlike any other that he's faced before and complications arise. A wry commentary on the nature of faith and rationalization. New York Premiere. Adults only. Viewer discretion advised.

Sunday, April 6, 1:00 p.m. Documentary and Thai American Shorts

• Farang Ba (Crazy White Foreigner)/John Sullivan/2002/59 min./video

Middle-aged, bald, bespectacled Craig Wilson appears to be another corporate attorney, working in Thailand for Coca Cola and leading a quiet and comfortable ex-pat life. But the Harvard-educated Wilson is also an avid amateur boxer, regularly fighting opponents in their early 20's and often winning. He has fought in televised matches, served as an honorary coach for the Philippines boxing team and has taken part in charity bouts with a Thai TV star, earning his Thai ring name farang ba or "crazy white foreigner." Throughout this, Wilson has battled cancer yet he continues to box, revealing a story of tenacity, cross-cultural respect and courage. New York Premiere. Discussion follows with James Weber, Associate Producer/Codirector of Photography/Graphics Producer.

Another group of short films built around stories such as the life journey of a woman from birth to aging, a woman's memories of her childhood in Thailand, and a hip hop percussionist's passion for his music.

• la vida: the strength within/Lawan Jirasuradej/1996/20 minutes/16mm
• Painted Earth/Lawan Jirasuradej/1994/7 min./16mm
• Path/Ake Warathap/2002/4 min./16mm
• For Eternity/ Napuss Taleangcapun/2000/11 min./video
• Trippin'/ Napuss Taleangcapun/2001/7 min./video

Sunday, April 6, 4:00 p.m.

• I-San Special/Mingmongkol Sonakul/2002/112 min.

A group of passengers leave Bangkok for an overnight journey to a small town in northeastern Thailand (I-San). However, once the journey gets underway the passengers, as if possessed, begin enacting a real Thai soap opera, speaking to each other with borrowed voices (dubbed by the actual soap stars). However, when the bus comes to a stop—to refuel or to repair a flat tire—the passengers step out of the story and regain their own voices, revealing a harsh reality that shares some surprising elements with the `fictional' melodrama. Blurring the border between fiction and reality in ways reminiscent of Neil LaBute's Nurse Betty, I-San Special showcases Thailand's new cinematic creative energy in a wildly imaginative and enjoyable journey. New York Premiere.

Sunday, April 6, 7:00 p.m.

Mekhong Full Moon Party/Jira Maligool/2002/119 min. Every year on the eleventh full moon, large crowds from far and wide gather on the banks of the Mekhong River in northeastern Thailand to witness a mysterious phenomenon known as `Naga's Fireballs.' Local people believe the balls of light are offerings for Buddha emitted by the river's sacred serpents, shooting up from the water and then disappearing soundlessly into the night sky. This fictional story, based upon the actual events of the festival, presents a host of characters with their own agendas in regard to the phenomenon. A scientist, Dr. Norati, sets out to prove that the fireballs are a product of nature, while a renowned geologist, Dr. Surapol, attempts to expose them as a hoax. Meanwhile Abbot Loh and his monks endeavor to ensure the continuation of the annual `miracle.' Everyone's faith is put to the test in this enchanting portrait of rural life caught at the crossroads of traditional folklore and modern technology. New York Premiere.

Thai Links is a creative collective dedicated to increasing awareness on issues affecting Thai communities, at home and abroad, through art and activism. It is a group that shares an interest in promoting a critical dialogue of Thai issues and the visibility of the Thai community through art and activism. Thai Links works with the Thai community and other community based organizations. It acts as a resource base and produces public programs and exhibitions. http://www.thailinks.org

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