Thai Host of COVID Relief Show Wins Asian Creative Awards

Phanya Nirunkul with an 11-year-old garland weaver living with disabilities, on the Nov. 27, 2020 episode of “Wit Makes Miracle.” Photo: Panya Gift / Facebook

SINGAPORE — Thailand clinched two winnings at the Asian Academy Creative Awards on Friday, including the host of a TV show dedicated to assisting those who face hardship amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

Phanya Nirunkul, a veteran TV personality, was recognized for the show called “Wit Makes Miracle” – or ปัญญา ปันสุข (Punya Punsuk) in Thai – winning awards in Best Lifestyle and Entertainment Presenter/Host categories. The other winner from Thailand is a romance-based game show that challenges gender stereotypes.

Wit Makes Miracle began airing weekdays in June on Workpoint Channel; its 117th episode was broadcast on Friday. In each installment, Phanya talks to people who lost their jobs or faced other difficulties because of the coronavirus. 

If they are able to complete a specified task using their wit, as specified in the title, then they can win a prize that will help them. Viewers are also encouraged to donate to the guests who appeared in the shows. 

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In the first episode, Phanya featured Sompong Um-iam, 62, a crab farmer in Chumphon who went bankrupt trying to help other farmers in his area during the COVID-19 crisis. He won 10,000 crab cages to help him in his business after showing off his talent in weighing some crabs.

The first episode of “Wit Makes Miracle” with English subs. 

“Couple or Not Thailand” from Thailand also won the Best General Entertainment, Game, or Quiz Programme. 

Produced by Zense Entertainment, the show revolves around celebrities who interview a pool of guests and try to to guest which ones of them are real-life couples. The show often includes same-sex couples, LGBTs, and relationships with interesting backstories as a way to subvert the audience’s expectations. 

Episode 109 of “Couple or Not,” featuring an LGBT couple.

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The Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards recognize entertainment firms in the Asia Pacific region for their work in film and TV.

This year’s Best Drama Series went to South Korea’s “Crash Landing On You,” a popular K-drama about the love between a North Korean soldier and a South Korean businesswoman. 

Best Feature Film went to Malaysia’s “The Garden of Evening Mists” by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia. Based on a book by Tan Twan Eng, the film tells the story of a woman who survived a Japanese war camp in the 1940s and became a student to a Japanese gardener in the Cameron Highlands.