6 Weeks to Mother's Day

Die Rückkehr der Sextouristen: Deutsche Männer in Pattaya

February 2023 •German

Prostitution is banned in Thailand, yet every year about 400,000 men from Germany travel to the Asian country. The so-called sex tourists spend a few nice days in the coastal city of Pattaya with bought "girlfriends" and thus circumvent the prostitution ban. Besides seemingly harmless sex meetings, however, there is also child prostitution, which has worsened especially since the Corona lockdown and also poses major problems for the police.

The Other Mother's Day

Invalid date •English

In Thailand every year there is a Mother's day celebration at schools. For some mothers, who don't fit into 'society norm,' this has become a day of anxiety, fear and self consciousness. The Other Mother's Day is a semi-personal film by Thai filmmmaker Duangtawan Sirikoon that acts as an experimental celebration of what an inclusive mother's day would feel like for a group of mothers that have been made to feel like they are 'other', outcasts, something their children are acutely aware of. A group of mothers who are: transgender; in a gay couple; in extreme poverty; covered in tattoos. Motherhood is expressed through the opinions and cheer of both children and mother - leaving us with the abundantly clear message: why on Earth would anyone/ society question the sanctity of these children's relationships with their rightful, loving mothers? And who's really doing the damage to the children's esteem?

Lords of the Forest

November 1958 •French

Documentary about the inhabitants, both human and animal, of the Belgian Congo. Released in 1958.

Memory Books

May 2008 •English

In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.

Big Mama

December 2000 •English

Eighteen months in the life of 89 years old Viola Dees as she tries of persuade Los Angeles authorities that she can care for her grandson, 9-year-old Walter.

City of Children

August 1949 •English

This final John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short looks at a community, Mooseheart, in Illinois that orphaned children call home.

The Songs of Rice

January 2014 •Thai

In Thailand, a hymn to rice need not always be sung. A dance, or spectacular homemade fireworks can say the same thing. As can a film, as is convincingly demonstrated by this lyrical, beautifully filmed homage to this essential staple food.

The Story of Funk: One Nation Under a Groove

December 2014 •English

A documentary on funk and P-funk and the bands and artists that made it all happen: James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Maurice White and his Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Kool & The Gang and lots more. It tells the story of black American music and how it evolved from funk to more main stream to disco to hiphop to contemporary R 'n B and its impact on society. Music and live footage from the bands, interviews with artists and band members of Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind & Fire, George Clinton and lots more.

Travis: The Ultimate Documentary

October 2013 •English

Travis—a sex-addicted, multi-lingual Scientologist—travels across Thailand sharing stories and entertaining his company.

Hunted Like Animals

January 2008 •English

A documentary about the atrocities committed against the Hmong people by the Laos government. Shot by Hmong people with cameras provided to them in 2006, this film provides a unique look into one of the worst, and silent, human rights tragedies of the 21st century.

The White Diamond

November 2004 •English

This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden flight above the jungle canopy.

Birds from the Gods

January 2004 •English

A Japanese animal photographer, Tadashi Shimada, captures crucial photographs of wild birds in Oceania. This episode of Shimada filmed in high-definition, focuses on the rare and fascinating Birds of Paradise in New Guinea and their beautiful yet humorous courtship behavior. In yellow, red, and hybrid orange, the long-feathered Greater Bird of Paradise and Raggiana Bird of Paradise dance together in the air. The Paradise Riflebird with its distinctive jet-black body and long blue feathers lives deep in the jungle. The program captures splendid images of the Magnificent Bird of Paradise's courtship dance that's never been seen on film before. Shimada's brilliant camera work creates the supreme art of nature..

Pétanque: Legacies of a secret war

April 2024 •Thai

Storror Supertramps - Thailand

June 2015 •English

Storror Supertramps - Thailand is the first film of its kind. Seven friends take you on a thrilling feature length adventure, documenting their wild journey around South East Asia. Join some of the worlds favourite athletes on an incredible exploration into their world of fun, freedom and adventure. The boys push the limits of their comfort zone as they endure twenty-eight days with no plans, accommodation or money. What could possibly go wrong ?

The Enchanted Forest of the Pygmy Hippopotamus

January 1998 •English

One of the most mysterious animals to inhabit the jungle is the pygmy hippopotamus - up to 300 kg in weight, just 2 meters long, and 80 cm tall, and a true loner. Since its discovery in 1844, generations of researchers have attempted to study it in the wild - but in vain. Although it proved possible to catch a few specimens for zoos, no one ever got to see them before they were already inside the trap. They eluded the gaze of the researchers like phantoms under the protection of the enchanted forest. These are the first ever pictures of pygmy hippopotami in their natural surroundings - the rain forest of West Africa. Set amid stories about their habitat, the film allows a first impression of this timid creature's life. While their ten-times heavier relatives are loud and gregarious and live in open stretches of water, the pygmy hippopotamus moves furtively through the thick undergrowth.

Our Southern Home

June 2008 •Thai

A documentary film tells the true story of the locals in southern of Thailand through the life of 4 families that live in different provinces, but hand and share their kindness to one another. The reality of their life is arranged into the story disclosing beautiful sides of the southern of Thailand and changing the point of view about the violence that's been happened in the area.

The Third Gender

April 2013 •English

A short documentary chronicling the personal lives and narratives of Thai "ladyboys," who are born men but present themselves as women, living openly in Thai society. The film interviews ladyboys from all walks of life-- performers, filmmakers, activists-- to learn what it's like to live in a society with visible gender fluidity, and to explore if Thailand is really as open to and accepting of sexual diversity as it seems.

Ku hai mueng ruay

December 2014 •Thai

Story of the merits of the revered abbot Luang Pho Khoon.

Paradoxocracy

June 2013 •Thai

Paradoxocracy, co-directed with Pen-ek's longtime friend and producer, Pasakorn Pramoolwong, begins with the 1932 Siamese Revolution - which transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one - and works its way to the present day, chronicling the country's major political revolutions, movements and countless coups along the way. Using a combination of archival footage, voice-overs and interviews with 15 unnamed academics, activists and political leaders, the film presents the directors' personal journey to come to an understanding of how their country arrived at its current state of near-constant political division and dysfunction.

Borneo in de jungle van de Sarawak

January 1982 •Dutch

Short documentary.