Thailand film companies and film crews pop up everywhere. I bumped into Hugh Grant last year whilst walking down Soi Cowboy. Surprised or not surprised. I thought after his last Hollywood appearance co-starring 'Divine Brown" as a real Hollywood hooker he would not be seen dead in a place of ill repute like soi Cowboy.

Still the lights were glaring in my eyes and Hugh was hidden by a huge Thai elephant, not an unusual sight in soi Cowboy - the elephant I mean. I didn't realize it was Hugh himself until he picked himself off the floor and dusted himself down. He is only a small guy and I am twice his size. There was a load voice shouting "CUT" and "get that ars....le of the set" I thought now that's impolite to call a famous Hollywood film actor an 'ars...le' when I realized that I had encroached on the movie set of Hugh's latest movie and the 'ars...le' was me.

Now of course I have to explain why I was in soi Cowboy in the first place. Well as part of my job taking care of foreign businessmen who come to Thailand to source products they often need a little R&R, a cold beer or two. I know that soi Cowboy is renowned for cold beer and lots of R&R so I was at work you see. If you believe that you will believe anything.

This was not to be my last brush with the movie business. A few months later whilst on business n Pattaya, yes some people have to work. I was approached by two young Thais holding a video camera. They asked me politely if I knew of any old fat ugly farangs (westerners) who could speak Thai. Now as they asked me in Thai I answered in Thai that I wasn't from Pattaya but  did have some ugly friends n Bangkok and gave them my business card. I got a phone call a few days later to offer me the job as a movie star in a Thai movie playing an old fat ugly farang.

A weeks shooting, all expenses paid in the beautiful mountains in Phang Nga province - you can see excerpts from the Thai movie 'The Tin Mine' at www.thetinmine.com look for the old fat ugly farang - that's me.

History of the Thai Film Industry

In the year 1970, Mr. Boonchana Attakorn, Minister of Commerce appointed a committee to study problems of local film industry, the importation of foreign movies and related issues. The Cabinet then appointed the Thai Film Industry Promotion Committee for the first time, with the Minister of Commerce as the chairman.

In 1976, the Ministry of Industry proposed that the composition of the Thai Film Industry Promotion Committee be amended, with the Ministry of Industry, Mr. Banharn Silpa-Archa as chairman, and the Director-General of the Public Relations Department as a member. In the following year, the committee appointed a sub-committee to study the problems of local film industry, chaired by Director-General of the Public Relations Department. A seminar was organized at the Government House from 29 April to 1 May 1977. Proposals were made to the Ministry of Finance on tax measures to help local film industry.

In 1981, the Thai Film Industry Promotion Committee was amended again, with the Director-General of the Public Relations Department as member and secretary, assisted by the Director of the Audio-Visual Production Division. The Secretariat was set up as part of the Division, as the first permanent office of the committee, with responsibilities over the organizing of the Thailand Film Festival, and participation of Thai film industry in international film festivals. The Secretariat also became part in the foreign film censoring panel in operation by virtue of the 1930 Act on Film Industry.

In 1982, a sub-committee was appointed to be in charge of foreign film shooting in Thailand, as there were 72 documentaries and 3 feature films with locations in Thailand. Also, the promotion of local film industry was made vigorously. The Public Relations Department gave frequent free shows of Thai films in its auditorium.

Subsequent administrations carry on the promotion of film industry, with the Public Relations Department as the core agency. The local film industry has also developed steadily. The shooting of foreign films in Thailand also increase with time, bringing in a large amount of income to localities and related businesses. As the coordinating agency, the Public Relations Department uses its network of public relations offices and broadcasting stations to support the operations effectively.

During the time of Dr. Piyasvasti Amaranand as Director-General during 2000-2001, a study group to restructure the Public Relations Department for efficiency, recommended that the film promotion works be transferred to other organizations, or maintained as a division outside the National Policy and Planning Office. At the same time, ministerial regulations of the Prime Minister’s Office concerning the shooting of foreign films were amended to further facilitate the operations. The Film Promotion Division also successfully applied for membership of the Association of Film Commissioners International, AFEI.

With the restructuring of the government bureaucracy by the Thaksin Shinawatra administration in 2003, the Film Promotion Division was transferred to the newly set up Ministry of Tourism and Sports in January 2003. http://thailand.prd.go.th/about_prd/content_part.php?id=7

Following you will find lists of film companies involved in the movie business in Thailand. If you want Bangkok Companies to put you in touch with a film company or simply supply a database of these film companies then please email bangkokcompanies@gmail.com