The 7th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival

After a hiatus of thirteen years, the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival will return next month. The 7th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (เทศกาลหนังทดลองกรุงเทพฯ ครั้งที่ 7) will take place next year, from 25th January to 2nd February, at the new One Bangkok cinema. This time, the festival will not only showcase films with experimental content, it will also feature experimental technology, with an immersive virtual reality experience. The festival’s theme this time around is Nowhere Somewhere (ไร้ที่ มีทาง).

The Bangkok Experimental Film Festival was founded by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul and curator Gridthiya Gaweewong in 1997, which was a pivotal year for Thai cinema. The Thai Short Film and Video Festival (เทศกาลภาพยนตร์สั้น) also began in 1997 (and is still going strong). 1997 also marked the start of the Thai New Wave, when Nonzee Nimibutr’s debut film Dang Bireley’s and Young Gangsters [sic] (2499 อันธพาลครองเมือง) broke domestic box-office records and Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s debut Fun Bar Karaoke (ฝันบ้าคาราโอเกะ) premiered at the Berlinale. (Thai Cinema Uncensored describes the “confluence of events” that took place in 1997.)

The Bangkok Experimental Film Festival was last held in 2012, at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The previous event took place in 2008, at the Esplanade cinema.