Doc Club’s Doc Talk series of discussions with documentary filmmakers began at Doc Club and Pub last year with a screening of Breaking the Cycle (อำนาจ ศรัทธา อนาคต) and a Q&A with its directors Aekaphong Saransate and Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn. This year, Doc Club launched a new Doc Talk series at Thammasat University, and Doc Talk 02 will also feature Breaking the Cycle, followed by a discussion with Aekaphong.
The film is a fly-on-the-wall account of the rise and fall of the Future Forward party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020. It will be screened at Thammasat’s College of Innovation on 21st February, which is the fifth anniversary of the court’s verdict. (Future Forward was founded as a progressive alternative to military dictatorship. The party came third in the 2019 election, after a wave of support for its charismatic leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, though he was disqualified as an MP by the Constitutional Court.)
The film is a fly-on-the-wall account of the rise and fall of the Future Forward party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020. It will be screened at Thammasat’s College of Innovation on 21st February, which is the fifth anniversary of the court’s verdict. (Future Forward was founded as a progressive alternative to military dictatorship. The party came third in the 2019 election, after a wave of support for its charismatic leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, though he was disqualified as an MP by the Constitutional Court.)
Breaking the Cycle begins in 2014 with Thanathorn’s determination to end the vicious cycle of military coups that has characterised Thailand’s modern political history. This mission gives the film its title, and Future Forward co-founder Piyabutr Saengkanokkul asks: “Why is Thailand stuck in this cycle of coups?” The documentary benefits from its extensive access to every senior figure within Future Forward. The directors were even able to film Thanathorn as he reacted to the guilty verdicts being delivered by the Constitutional Court.
The film ends with the caption “THE CYCLE CONTINUES”, which is sadly accurate: Future Forward’s successor, Move Forward, was dissolved by the Constitutional Court last year despite winning the 2023 election. The movement’s third incarnation, the People’s Party, will need a landslide victory in the next election to challenge the current pro-military coalition led by Pheu Thai.
Breaking the Cycle went on general release last year. It was later shown at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, as part of the Lost and Longing (แด่วันคืนที่สูญหาย) season. It was also screened at AEY Space in Songkla, and at the Bangsaen Film Festival 2024 (เทศกาลภาพยนตร์บางแสน 2024) at Burapha University. It was part of the Hits Me Movies... One More Time programme at House Samyan in Bangkok.
The film ends with the caption “THE CYCLE CONTINUES”, which is sadly accurate: Future Forward’s successor, Move Forward, was dissolved by the Constitutional Court last year despite winning the 2023 election. The movement’s third incarnation, the People’s Party, will need a landslide victory in the next election to challenge the current pro-military coalition led by Pheu Thai.
Breaking the Cycle went on general release last year. It was later shown at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, as part of the Lost and Longing (แด่วันคืนที่สูญหาย) season. It was also screened at AEY Space in Songkla, and at the Bangsaen Film Festival 2024 (เทศกาลภาพยนตร์บางแสน 2024) at Burapha University. It was part of the Hits Me Movies... One More Time programme at House Samyan in Bangkok.
