Maneeya Dhammataree
While you would think that in the world of television broadcasting, there’s a huge gulf between big budget programming and locally-produced short independent films, Turnpan Pansombat, a TV producer at the Thai PBS channel, the country’s first public television station, is taking steps to help bridge the gap.
Maneeya Dhammataree learns more from Turnpan about the “Hot Short Film” program, which is generating a ‘win-win’ situation for independent filmmakers and Thai PBS.
Maneeya Dhammataree (MD): I’ve seen experimental films broadcast on subscription (paid for) TV channels before, but not on a free channel. How did the idea come about?
Turnpan Pansombat (TP): One of Thai PBS’ policies is to produce programs for people from different backgrounds. Since I’m personally interested in the medium, I wondered whether it might be possible to expand the audience for indie films. I came up with the idea for the program, presented it to the station’s management, and they were convinced to go ahead.
MD: How can you compete with the channel’s more mainstream programming?
TP: Well, I think everyone knows that short films can’t rival bigger budget programs in terms of commercial value. But I feel we should offer people a real alternative. There’s always been a market for programs that are different from the mainstream, and that’s a demand we hope to satisfy.
MD: Where do you get financial support for purchasing the films you broadcast?
TP: We get some funds from Thai PBS as well as some art organizations in order to be able to purchase high-quality short films. But there are also some filmmakers who are happy to pay for airtime. It provides them with a stage on which to display their work, while offering our viewers interesting programming content.
MD: And how do you go about assessing whether a film is suitable for the program?
TP: We are mainly focused on the production and post-production. In terms of content, the film ought to relate to social issues of the day. But overall, the most important thing is that the films must be well-communicated.
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MD: What are you hoping to achieve through this initiative?
TP: I’d like to see short films become more widely accepted so that they will eventually be able to survive and thrive on their own merit.
MD: What response to the program have you received so far?
TP: It’s been great – we’re doing very well. Interest is growing, as evidenced by the number of films submitted for consideration.
MD: Good luck with the show!
TP: Thanks a lot.
Hot Short Film airs on Sundays at 5 pm on Thai PBS.
Filmmakers interested in submitting material for consideration by the programmers can find out more about the process by calling Tel: +66 (0)2 791 1000. |
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