Bangkok Film Fest set for September

The speculation and rumour over the Bangkok International Film Festival has been quelled, as the Federation of National Film Associations has made an official announcement that the festival will indeed be held in Bangkok this coming September. The last festival was overseen by the national tourism body, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but it was unclear if the organization would be able to once again take its leading role in the event.

This year, the Thai Film Directors Association will be at the helm of the festival’s proceedings, with TAT still contributing some money to the cause without taking an active role in any creative decisions about the festival or the films to be shown. The director’s association president, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, says no names of international jurors would be released at this time.

The TAT took over last year after the 2006 festival was criticized for the lack of Thai subtitles in some films, and many saw the event’s spending as reckless, with much cash spent on flying Western film stars into Bangkok for the red carpet treatment.