Tongpan
Encyclopedia
Tongpan is a 1977
Thai
16 mm black-and-white docudrama
that re-creates a seminar that took place in Northeast Thailand
in 1975 to discuss the proposed Pa-Mong Dam on the Mekong
. Interwoven are sequences depicting a poor farmer, Tongpan, who had lost his land to another dam some years before, and his struggles to make ends meet. Because of the film's socialist
message and suspected communist
sympathies of the filmmakers, it was banned by the Thai government
. The 63-minute film was released on VCD in Thailand in 2006.
are going to rural Thailand to talk to farmers about their cause. Among the farmers the students meet is Tongpan, a father of two children with a wife, eaking out a living on rented farmland.
Years before, Tongpan had his own farm, but lost it when a dam was built. Now, a bigger dam is to be built on the Mekong
. The students urge Tongpan to attend a seminar about the dam proposal and share his experience.
The seminar is attended by government officials, foreign experts, young intellectuals and local farmers. Various opinions are shared, both for and against the massive Pa-Mong Dam.
Tongpan, meanwhile, is struggling to earn a living on his small, rented patch of land. There is not enough water to grow a decent rice
crop and fishstocks are dwindling. Tongpan and his wife have two boys, one still an infant. Food is so scarce, that Tongpan's wife falls ill with tuberculosis
and cannot breastfeed the boy. He is paid a total of US$100 for a year of watching his landlord's chickens, and cannot hope to borrow more money to buy food for his family.
Tongpan attends the seminar, but the hardships at home weigh heavily on him, and when it comes time for him to speak, he has already gone home.
and director Euthana Mukdasanit
.
The film was based on actual events that had occurred in 1975, and was made in Nakhon Ratchasima Province
. The actor who portrayed Tongpan, Ong-art Ponethon, was a farmer and former Muay Thai
boxer. He went on to act in the Vichit Kounavudhi
film Son of the Northeast
.
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
Thai
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
16 mm black-and-white docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
that re-creates a seminar that took place in Northeast Thailand
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
in 1975 to discuss the proposed Pa-Mong Dam on the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
. Interwoven are sequences depicting a poor farmer, Tongpan, who had lost his land to another dam some years before, and his struggles to make ends meet. Because of the film's socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
message and suspected communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
sympathies of the filmmakers, it was banned by the Thai government
Politics of Thailand
The politics of Thailand are currently conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches.Thai kingdoms and late...
. The 63-minute film was released on VCD in Thailand in 2006.
Synopsis
It is just after 1973 democracy movement and university students from BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
are going to rural Thailand to talk to farmers about their cause. Among the farmers the students meet is Tongpan, a father of two children with a wife, eaking out a living on rented farmland.
Years before, Tongpan had his own farm, but lost it when a dam was built. Now, a bigger dam is to be built on the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
. The students urge Tongpan to attend a seminar about the dam proposal and share his experience.
The seminar is attended by government officials, foreign experts, young intellectuals and local farmers. Various opinions are shared, both for and against the massive Pa-Mong Dam.
Tongpan, meanwhile, is struggling to earn a living on his small, rented patch of land. There is not enough water to grow a decent rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
crop and fishstocks are dwindling. Tongpan and his wife have two boys, one still an infant. Food is so scarce, that Tongpan's wife falls ill with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and cannot breastfeed the boy. He is paid a total of US$100 for a year of watching his landlord's chickens, and cannot hope to borrow more money to buy food for his family.
Tongpan attends the seminar, but the hardships at home weigh heavily on him, and when it comes time for him to speak, he has already gone home.
Cast
- Ong-art Ponethon as Tongpan
- Khamsing Srinork as Academic at seminar
- Peter Bell as Hydro-electricity expert at seminar
- Surachai JantimatornCaravan (Thai band)Caravan is a Thai folk-rock band that formed out of the 1973 democracy movement. It launched the Phleng pheua chiwit genre that has since been popularized by Carabao.-Personnel:...
as Minstrel - Sulak SivaraksaSulak SivaraksaSulak Sivaraksa [] is founder and director of the Thai NGO “Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation”, named after two authorities on Thai culture, Sathirakoses and Nagapradeepa...
Production
The filmmakers were a group of such students involved in the 1973 democracy movement, and included folk musician Surachai Jantimatorn of the songs-for-life band CaravanCaravan (Thai band)
Caravan is a Thai folk-rock band that formed out of the 1973 democracy movement. It launched the Phleng pheua chiwit genre that has since been popularized by Carabao.-Personnel:...
and director Euthana Mukdasanit
Euthana Mukdasanit
Euthana Mukdasanit is a Thai film director and screenwriter. As a contemporary of Chatrichalerm Yukol, Euthana was among a group of directors that during the 1970s made films that focused on social problems...
.
The film was based on actual events that had occurred in 1975, and was made in Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand...
. The actor who portrayed Tongpan, Ong-art Ponethon, was a farmer and former Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
boxer. He went on to act in the Vichit Kounavudhi
Vichit Kounavudhi
Vichit Kounavudhi was a Thai film director and screenwriter. His works include the docudrama Son of the Northeast.-Early career:...
film Son of the Northeast
Son of the Northeast
Son of the Northeast is a 1982 historical drama film set in 1930s Isan, or northeastern Thailand. The film is directed by Vichit Kounavudhi and is based on a S.E.A. Write Award-winning book by Kampoon Boonthavee. Filmed in a documentary style, the story follows a tight-knit group of Isan...
.
External links
- Yahoo Movies
- Review at Time Out