Nattawut Poonpiriya (nicknamed Baz) is a Thai director. He graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts in stage directing from Srinakharinwirot University. He worked on a variety of projects afterwards including television commercials and music videos before directing his first film, Countdown (2012). This film won awards at the Thailand National Film Association Awards.

Bad Genius, his second film, was selected as part of 2017’s Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival programming. The story about a high school student cheating at school and during an international exam resonated with many audiences. After its release in May 2017, Bad Genius became Thailand’s highest grossing 2017 film and hit number 2 in the Chinese box office. He also won Best Director at the Thailand National Film Association Awards (2018).

(Source: ricepapermagazine.ca) Edit Biography