Directors of critically-acclaimed dramas The Blue Hour and 36 among the filmmakers presenting projects at Thai Pitch this year.

Two of last year’s most acclaimed Thai filmmakers – Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Freelance) and Anucha Boonyawatana (The Blue Hour) – will present new projects at Thai Pitch in Cannes this year, while Rutaiwan Wongsirasawad returns after a 10-year hiatus with her sophomore film.

Hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, with Raymond Phathanavirangoon coordinating, the pitch event will be held on May 14-15 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village in Cannes.

Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit won the Busan New Currents award with his debut 36 (2012), while his second film Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy (2013) premiered in Venice. He had a critical and commercial hit last year with Freelance, which swept the Thailand National Film Association Awards with eight wins, including best film and best director.

Anucha Boonyawatana’s first feature The Blue Hour premiered at Berlin Panorama last year, while veteran TV commercials director Rutaiwan Wongsirasawad made her feature debut in 2005 with Oops! There’s Dad.

The three filmmakers’ new projects are:

DIE TOMORROW

Dir: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit

Prod: Pacharin Surawatanapongs

Six short segments about the impermanence of life, all inspired by deaths reported in Thai daily newspapers.

MALILA

Dir: Anucha Boonyawatana

Prods: Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, Kaneenut Ruengrujira

A dark philosophical drama which explores Buddhism and death as seen through to the eyes of a monk. While he practices a form of meditation called “asubha kammatthana”, in which he must observe a decaying corpse for a length of time, the monk’s past male lover appears to him in a different form.

TO BECOME A BUTTERFLY

dir: Rutaiwan Wongsirasawad

prod: Rasarin Tanalerttararom

The story of a woman struggling through life while raising an autistic son. As her child gets better, her health conversely gets worse. Rasarin Tanalerttararom, who is currently also producing Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s Samui Song, is the producer.

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