Latest news with #SurapongSuebwonglee
The Star
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Thai govt drives 'Diwali 2025' festival to boost Indian tourism in Thailand
BANGKOK: Thailand aims to stage an impressive 'Diwali 2025' festival in Thailand this coming October. Dr Surapong Suebwonglee, chair of the National Soft Power Development Committee, and Nalinee Taveesin, chair of the Thai Trade Representative and head of the subcommittee promoting the Indian tourist market, held a high-level meeting on May 21, 2025 to discuss the staging to the festival. Also at the meeting were Nagesh Singh, Indian Ambassador to Thailand, alongside executives from over 10 major Indian private-sector companies. The event aims to enhance Thailand's image as the region's festival destination while attracting over 500,000 Indian visitors. The festival will draw inspiration from the highly successful Songkran Festival, featuring a grand scale and vibrant activities. Key highlights will include a spectacular light and sound parade, traditional Indian cultural performances, a Global Fair, elaborate decorations at key venues, fashion shows featuring renowned Thai and Indian designers, concerts by celebrated artists, and a fusion Indian-Thai food festival. The event will also provide opportunities for private businesses to showcase products, services, and special tourism promotions, reflecting cultural diversity and contemporary tastes. Indian private sector representatives expressed strong support for the festival, praising the Thai government's commitment to fostering people-to-people and cultural collaboration as a foundation for long-term economic relations. Nalinee emphasised that this year's Diwali Festival will serve as a vital platform to deepen Thai-Indian relations across cultural, societal, and economic spheres, particularly targeting high-potential Indian tourists known for their repeat visits and average spending exceeding 50,000 baht per trip. Surapong highlighted Diwali's role as a strategic tool to boost tourism, the economy, and consumer spending in Thailand, with ambitions to elevate the festival to a grandeur comparable to Songkran and eventually establish it as a key regional event. The Indian Ambassador reaffirmed Thailand's status as a 'Preferred Destination' for Indian tourists, noting that over 2.1 million Indians visited Thailand in 2024. He also highlighted the presence of 13 direct airlines operating between India and Thailand, with peak travel seasons in November and December. Diwali, also known as Deepavali is an important Hindu festival. The word 'Deepa' means 'lamp' or 'light,' while 'vali' refers to a row. Together, the term signifies 'a row of lights,' describing the beautiful lamps placed outside homes during the festival. Celebrated over five days, the most significant day—Diwali day—falls on the 14th day of the dark lunar fortnight in the Hindu month of Kartika (October–November). This day also traditionally marks the start of new business accounts for traders and entrepreneurs, symbolising new beginnings. - The Nation/ANN
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thailand Revives Bangkok International Film Festival With First Edition Planned For January
Thailand's new film agency, Thailand Creative Content Agency (THACCA), has confirmed that the country is relaunching its Bangkok International Film Festival on a large scale in January, 2026. Dr. Surapong Suebwonglee, Chairman of the National Soft Power Development Committee of Thailand, announced the news during a Cannes Marche panel in which he also outlined THACCA's vision for supporting and expanding the vibrant Thai film industry. More from Deadline Tom Cruise Shows Up To Celebrate 'Mission: Impossible' Filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie At Cannes Masterclass Legendary Musician & Brazilian Culture Minister Margareth Menezes On Rebuilding The Country's Film Sector & Regulating Streamers: "We Want What Is Fair" Global Constellation Boards Sales On Paris-Set Queer Animation 'Jim Queen' While exact dates are yet to be announced, the revived festival will take place around the second week of January, ending before the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 22. Thai producer and critic Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, currently director of the World Film Festival in Bangkok, will be artistic director of the new event, which will include a section for international films and a separate program for Thai movies. 'The international audience can come to see what's going on in Thai cinema across the whole range of both artistic and mainstream movies,' Donsaron explained. The event will also have a market and industry component headed by Thai producer and director Pantham Thongsang, which will also include pitching sessions and year-round workshops. Meanwhile, a wider Thai cultural event, showcasing all aspects of Thailand's creative industries including film, food and fashion, will be held in Bangkok in July. Also during the THACCA panel, Dr. Surapong outlined the advantages of working with Thailand, which include a 30% production rebate, experienced crews, rising actors and directors and a vibrant post-production sector. He also shared that Thailand is in the process of negotiating a series of co-production treaties. 'We have a rising creative force, along with a robust public-private partnership; we also have talent, competitive costs and world-class stories,' Dr. Surapong said. He also explained the many funding and talent development initiatives of the new Thailand Creative Content Agency (THACCA), which will officially launch next year but has already handed out $6.4m (THB220m) to 86 Thai projects in its first funding round. One of the projects supported by the new fund is A Useful Ghost, directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, which is premiering here in Critics Week. Produced by Cattleya Paosrijaroen and Soros Sukhum at Thailand's 185 Films, the film is co-produced by Singapore's Momo Film Co and France's Haut Les Mains. Also in Cannes, THACCA is holding a pitching event (May 19-20 at the Thai Pavilion) for three projects from filmmakers who are following up their award-winning debuts. The three selected projects, which have also received support from the new fund, include The Blind Earthworm In The Labyrinth, from Taiki Sakpisit (The Edge Of Daybreak); Ghost Of The Currents, from Patiparn Boontarig (Solids By The Seashore) and Ray Of Light from Nontawat Numbenchapol (Doi Boy). The old Bangkok International Film Festival, organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, came to a halt in 2006 when it emerged that the former Thai tourism minister, Juthamas Siriwan, was involved in defrauding the festival along with a U.S. couple, Gerald and Patricia Green, who were helping organize the event. Both Juthamas and the U.S. organizers were consequently imprisoned in their respective countries. Since that time, Thailand has hosted several smaller festivals, but never had a large-scale international event. The organizers of the new Bangkok International Film Festival are stressing that it will be organized by a non-profit organization with the support of THACCA and the Thai government. The new festival will open a call for entries in a few months. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
