Netflix Thailand announced a slate of four Thai films and two series yesterday at an event held at Siam Square.
'The Lost Lotteries', a heist comedy film, is the only title with a release date of Nov 16, while the rest are listed as ‘coming soon’. The other three films are 'Hunger' (working title), about a woman who leaves her family restaurant to join Thailand's number one luxury chef's table team; 'The Murderer' (working title) is a story of an Englishman accused of murdering his Thai in-laws; and 'Mon Rak Nak Pak' (working title) is about a travelling pharma-cinema troupe who spread the joy of live-dubbed movies.
The Lost Lotteries: A heist-comedy film about 5 losers united by a crazy mission to retrieve their 30-million-baht winning lottery tickets from a mafia gang headquartered in a firecracker factory.
Hunger: Aoy, a woman in her twenties, runs her family’s local stir-fried noodles restaurant in the old quarter of Bangkok. One day, she receives an invitation to leave the family business and join team ‘Hunger’, Thailand’s number one luxury Chef’s table team led by the famously ingenious, and infamously nasty, Chef Paul.
The Murderer: When an English man is accused of murdering his Thai in-laws, his wife is the only witness that stands between guilt and freedom.
Mon Rak Nak Pak: Join the crew of a traveling pharma-cinema troupe as they go on the road to spread the joy of live-dubbed movies, all while overcoming difficulties, deceits, and reaching for their dreams.
Two series in the pipeline are the thought-provoking 'Delete' (working title), which explores the question ‘Who do you want to delete from your life?’ and 'Analog Squad' (working title) is about a group of misfits who are hired to play the roles of estranged family members.
Delete: The story of a complicated relationship with secrets to hide, and a grim question to ponder: who do you want to delete from your life?
Analog Squad: At the turn of the millennium, a group of misfits is hired to play the part of estranged family members in order to fill in the cracks of one broken family.
According to Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Netflix's content director for Thailand, "Thais continue to embrace local stories. When we release a local title on Netflix, it goes to the top of the most-watched charts in Thailand. 'Thai Cave Rescue' is there now, while 'Bangkok Breaking' remained on the country’s Top 10 list for five weeks last year.
Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Netflix's content director for Thailand
"Therefore, Netflix will give more of what members love with the six upcoming titles, kicking off with 'The Lost Lotteries' by top production studio GMM Studios International on Nov 16," he added.
Perhaps one of the more interesting titles is 'The Murderer', which Yongyoot said will be Netflix's first release in the Isan dialect, starring well-loved funnyman 'Mum' Jokmok as a policeman who investigates whether a British man killed his Thai in-laws.
While these six stories were crafted especially for Thai audiences, he believes the themes of love and hope will resonate with members globally. Speaking about Netlfix as a platform for filmmakers, he said, "In the past, creators would have to do the international film circuit to drum up interest. But with Netflix streaming to more than 190 countries, it’s opened up countless opportunities. This in turn motivates creators to pitch us their best ideas and produce their best work. And we’re so proud to share these stories that we hope will excite and entertain our members, both in Thailand and globally."
