Thai romance movies and series depicting same-sex relationships, especially Y-series are very popular among Asian viewers. However, many people find it surprising that films of this genre are financially supported by the Thai Ministry of Culture, an institution often perceived as conservative.
Pond Krisda Witthayakhajorndet, the executive producer and director of ‘Mansuang’, announced the release of the film on August 24, expressing his excitement and anticipation. He also emphasized how much the production team has focused on the concept of ‘Soft Power’.
“I would like to emphasize this term ‘soft power’ again, because it is very important. People and the media have referred to or reported on the same-sex series as soft power. However, we have never received support. But today it’s starting. I am getting a little support from the government now, but what I really want is the support of the Thai people, who should no longer classify the film as a same-sex film, but as a good film.”
Pond stated that this film shows Thai culture best, and he emphasized that he claimed so himself. When he presented the film at a competition, the judges praised it for portraying Thai culture so well and for inserting it naturally. He mentioned that these aspects are already common in the entertainment industry abroad.
‘If I made a film of this scale and didn’t receive government support, I would be perplexed. Today, I feel like I have hope for the country. We have received genuine, fair support without any conditions or hidden agendas. This can be verified. I feel empowered as if someone has our back.'”
However, the film’s team is not immune to online criticism of the allocation of funds.
“One amusing thing is reading comments criticizing that everything was prearranged. I want to say, don’t harm each other like this. Check on me. I’m straightforward and fair.”
The new-generation director noted that the Ministry of Culture does indeed have budgetary resources to produce films to promote Thailand’s soft power. However, these films might not have attracted as much attention in the past.
He emphasized that they followed the normal steps from submitting the documents to participating in the auctions to presenting the concepts and the final announcement where the team won. He exclaimed that “it feels like I am being accepted into a university.”
