Tongpan (1977)

A sombre look at the brief period of Thai democracy in the ’70s through the proposed construction of a dam in rural Isan. Tongpan is a farmer with a wife and three children struggling to make ends meet. Having experienced his previous home being destroyed by a dam project, he is approached to participate in a seminar attended by local residents, government officials and students to discuss the proposed construction of the Pa Mong Dam in Isan, Thailand. Shot in black and white with reenactments of real-life events, Tongpan is an unflinching commentary on the flaws of democracy and the glaring disparities in Thailand’s urban–rural divide during the 1970s. It was made by a group of activists involved in the 1973 democracy movement and was named Outstanding Film of Southeast Asia at London Film Festival in 1977. (Source: SGIFF) Edit Translation

• English
• magyar / magyar nyelv
• עברית / עִבְרִית
• dansk