KYOTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

In memory of the late director Sompote Saengduenchai, we will screen "Phra Rod Merre" with Japanese subtites. Director Sompote produced many special effects (tokusatsu) films in Thailand after studying special effects techniques under director Eiji Tsuburaya during his two years of film study in Japan in the early 1960s. The story is based on a folk tale called "twelve sisters" that is widely known in mainland Southeast Asia. The film achieved major success in Thailand when it was released in 1981. Dr. Hiramatsu, who conducts research on Japanese and Thai comparative literature and culture from the perspectives of Buddhism and gender, will give a commentary for a deeper understanding of the film.