Sejarah film kontemporer Thailand identik dengan Rattana Pestonji (1908-1970). Semasa aktifnya (1930-1970), Pestonji adalah sutradara, penulis dan juga sinematografer.  Dalam program kali ini, kineforum dan Thai Film Archive menampilkan tiga karya Rattana Pestonji sebagai sutradara: Country Hotel (1957), Dark Heaven (1958), Black Silk (1961) --film Thailand pertama yang terseleksi untuk berkompetisi di Berlin Film Festival.

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Sebagai seorang pembuat film, karya-karyanya kerap memperlihatkan ketegangan yang muncul akibat adanya sejumlah perbedaan yang dipicu oleh kemiskinan, tradisi, juga keyakinan. Pestonji wafat pada 1970, ketika sedang menyampaikan pidato kritisnya terhadap pemerintah Thailand yang dianggapnya masih belum mendukung perkembangan film.

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The history of Thai contemporary film often summarized into a name, Rattana Pestonji (1908-1970). During his active years (1930-1970), Pestonji was a director, writer, and cinematographer. In this month’s program, kineforum and Thai Film Archive present three of Pestonji’s work as a director: Country Hotel (1957), Dark Heaven (1958), and Black Silk (1961). The latter was the first Thai film that was selected to compete in the Berlin International Film Festival.

 

As a filmmaker, his works often show the tension raised by disagreements due to poverty, differences in tradition and faith. Rattana Pestonji died in 1970 of a heart attack, while delivering a speech urging the government to recognize the importance of the Thai film industry.

 

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