Panisa Khueanphet’s short documentary Bangkok 2564 (เมืองฟ้าอมร) is the director’s silent assessment of the city in the present day. (2564 is the Buddhist Era equivalent of 2021, the year the film was made.)
Its Thai title translates as ‘heavenly’ or ‘angelic’, though this is intended ironically, as the film highlights the authoritarian nature of city life. Panisa films police officers and security guards in public spaces, and protesters at Democracy Monument. In the final moments, riot police advance on demonstrators who give a three-finger salute.
Its Thai title translates as ‘heavenly’ or ‘angelic’, though this is intended ironically, as the film highlights the authoritarian nature of city life. Panisa films police officers and security guards in public spaces, and protesters at Democracy Monument. In the final moments, riot police advance on demonstrators who give a three-finger salute.
Bangkok 2564 is similar to Weerapat Sakolvaree’s Zombie Citizens, which was filmed at around the same time. Both films show access to the Grand Palace blocked by shipping containers, and Bangkok’s streets largely deserted after coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The two films are also commentaries on the state’s attitudes towards its citizens.
Bangkok 2564 hints at this with a shot of the Baiyoke Tower II skyscraper, which has an LED panel that features the scrolling message “LONG LIVE THE” — the final word is missing, as the panel cuts to a commercial. (The advert is for the FWD insurance company, whose name and orange brand identity resemble the progressive Move Forward Party.) Panisa’s director’s statement is even more direct: she says that the film is a reminder of how the government, which includes the monarchy and the establishment, shattered people’s hearts and dreams (“โลก ณ ห้วงเวลาหนึ่งของชีวิตและช่วยเตือนความจำว่าครั้งนึงรัฐบาลเผด็จการภายใต้อำนาจกษัตริย์และชนชั้นนำไทย”).
Bangkok 2564 was screened as part of the Bangkok Unbound programme in 2025, and at Kangjor 28 (กางจอ 28) in 2022. It will be shown at Thammasat University later this week.
Bangkok 2564 hints at this with a shot of the Baiyoke Tower II skyscraper, which has an LED panel that features the scrolling message “LONG LIVE THE” — the final word is missing, as the panel cuts to a commercial. (The advert is for the FWD insurance company, whose name and orange brand identity resemble the progressive Move Forward Party.) Panisa’s director’s statement is even more direct: she says that the film is a reminder of how the government, which includes the monarchy and the establishment, shattered people’s hearts and dreams (“โลก ณ ห้วงเวลาหนึ่งของชีวิตและช่วยเตือนความจำว่าครั้งนึงรัฐบาลเผด็จการภายใต้อำนาจกษัตริย์และชนชั้นนำไทย”).
Bangkok 2564 was screened as part of the Bangkok Unbound programme in 2025, and at Kangjor 28 (กางจอ 28) in 2022. It will be shown at Thammasat University later this week.