Bhandit Rittakol

Infobox Celebrity


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name = Bhandit Rittakol
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birth_date = 1951
birth_place = Ayutthaya Province, Thailand
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occupation = Film director, producer, screenwriter
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Bhandit Rittakol ( _th. บัณฑิต ฤทธิ์ถกล, b. 1951 in Ayutthaya Province, Thailand) is an award-winning Thai film director, producer and screenwriter. His films include the controversial biographical film of Thai communist revolutionary Seksan Prasertkul, "The Moonhunter"; the jungle thriller "Tigress of King River" and "The Seed" ("Duay Klao" or _th. ด้วยเกล้า), a semi-documentary story of Isan farmers hit by drought who are saved by cloud seeding operations sponsored by King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Biography

Early career

After graduating from Assumption University in 1971, Bhandit became a reporter for "The Nation", an English-language daily newspaper that had just been started by some Thai journalists. Among the stories he covered was the 14 October 1973 uprising (see History of Thailand (1932-1973)).

In 1975, he became a film critic and screenwriter, which eventually led to a career as a director. He made his first film "Khad Cheak", in 1984.

In 1987 he made "Duay Klao" ("The Seed"), a documentary-style drama about a farmers in Northeast Thailand hit by drought. The movie starred folksinger Jarun Manopetch and it won best picture and best actor honors at the Thailand National Film Awards. "The Seed" was remastered and re-released in 2006 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The only Thai film made that specifically addresses King Bhumibol, the monarch's cloud seeding program and other royal projects are depicted in the film. The re-released film also featured a new score of compositions by the king. [Pajee, Parinyaporn. August 15, 2006. "Seeds of wisdom", "The Nation", Page 16A (print edition only).]

Other films by Bhandit include "Classmates", which won best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1990; "Miss You", winner of best picture, best director and best screenplay in 1993, and Once Upon a Time, the hit comedy film series "Boonchoo". His drama, "Kalla khrung nueng ... muea chao nee" ("Once Upon a Time ... This Morning"), won awards for best director and best screenplay and was submitted as Thailand's Best Foreign Language Film for the 68th Academy Awards in 1995.

"The Moonhunter"

Bhandit became controversial in 2001 with the release of "The Moonhunter" ("14 tula, songkram prachachon" or "14 October: War of the People"), a biographical film about 1970s Thammasat University student activist and communist rebel Seksan Prasertkul, who co-wrote the screenplay. The English title refers to an episode when Seksan was fighting in the jungles of Thailand and, one night, startled by the rise of the moon, he fired his rifle at it.

The Censorship Board banned the film's trailer, which included stock footage from the 14 October 1973 student uprising, with soldiers and policemen beating up unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators. Bhandit then vowed to not release the film if the board made any cuts, but the board responded that Bhandit was simply using the censorship review process as a means of generating publicity for his film. [Somsin, Benjawan. October 3, 2001. [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=49248&usrsess= "Director vows to appeal any cuts to film"] , "The Nation" (retrieved August 31, 2006).] As it turned out, the film was released without any cuts, a sign, Bhandit said, that Thai society was maturing. [Ywin, Ken. October 17, 2001. [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.arcview.phpclid=16&id=50512&usrsess= "Fighting for history"] , "The Nation" (retrieved August 31, 2006).]

The film was submitted by Thailand for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Subsequent films, the CGI-heavy "The Tigress of King River", the science fiction film, "Ukkabat" ("Meteor") and the swashbuckling period film, "The Magnificent Five" have generated neither controversy nor critical acclaim. Despite health problems in recent years including diabetes and a heart attack, Bhandit continues to work.

"What else I can do? Run a noodle shop?" the director was quoted as saying by "The Nation" in 2006. "I have to work. I don't have much time because a director of my age is going to be out of fashion soon." [Soop Sip. August 16, 2006. "Bhandit makes last bid for fame", "The Nation" (print edition).]

Partial filmography

* "Khad Cheak" (1984)
* "Duay Klao" ("The Seed") (1987)
* "Boonchoo"
* "Hong 2 Run 44" ("Classmates") (1990)
* "Kalla khrung nueng... muea chao nee" ("Once Upon a Time... This Morning") (1994)
* "Satang" (2000)
* "14 tula, songkram prachachon" ("The Moonhunter") (2001)
* "Chue chop chuan ha reung" (2003)
* "Ukkabat" ("The Meteor") (2004)
* "Phra-dek-seua-kai-wawk" ("The Magnificent Five") (2006)
* "My First Report" (Short Films Project in Commemoration of the Celebration on the Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 2007)

References

* [http://www.thailinks.org/takesdirectors.html#bhandit Thai Takes: Contemporary Thai Film Directors] (retrieved August 31, 2006).
* Svetvilas, Chanika (2003) [http://www.thailinks.org/features03.html Bhandit Rittakol: News Reporter Turned Filmmaker In His Own Words] , ThaiLinks.org (retrieved August 31, 2006).

Notes

External links

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* [http://www.movieseer.com/movieprofilebil.asp?moID=912&Channel=2 Review of "The Moonhunter" at Movieseer]