So how would you explain this? A Thai director Wych Kaosayananda created "Fah", a Thai film which suffered faced a tragic demise quietly at the box office several years ago. Now he is striking back with his second film. "Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever" is his debut under the "Hollywood director" establishment.
Should we feel proud of our fellow Thai who has made it big in Hollywood or should we regret that we've lost yet another resource to the superpower of the celluloid world?
Wych is just another example of the increasing Asian flavours that Hollywood studios have recently injected into their films.
We've heard familiar names before. John Woo has already established himself as a Hollywood director, while Jackie Chan has made kung-fu home entertainment in the West.
The acclaimed director of "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable" and "Signs" is M Night Shyamalan who was born in the south of India and grew up in the States.
The recruitment of stars from the Asian cinema industry is not a new phenomenon, but it has become more conspicuous over the past several years.
It's not that Hollywood is afraid of losing its predominance in the entertainment industry (because it will never reach that point), but it shows clearly how the big studios handle the situation when they realise that Asian arts are "in" for their audience. In this way Hollywood has turned "threat" into "treat".
Instead of sitting back and watching the renaissance of Asian films, the major studios have incorporated Asian elements into their own industry, responding to movie buffs' demand for characters of "other" cultures.
This also provides an even better chance to penetrate the market outside the US when you display the household names of Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and Jackie Chan.
Cutting back to Asian filmmakers, they have nothing to worry about nowadays. It's their golden chance as the world is more than willing to accept their creative work.
Hollywood's acceptance by default has given them more opportunities to explore new ideas and enjoy a much bigger production budget for each film project.
The Thai film industry is no exception as the industry has gained the advantage of being indirectly driven by the international community.
Thai filmmakers have received both money and awards for such Thai films as "Nang Nak", "Tears of the Black Tiger", and "Satree Lek". The hype has increased to the level that some Thai films have even been booked by foreign distributors even before they are wrapped.
Rising from the drought of the past few years, more than 10 titles were released during the first half of this year.
The changing situation in Thailand alone shows why Hollywood has had to adapt itself.
The fact that "Nang Nak" grossed Bt150 million in 1999, while many Hollywood flicks struggled to earn Bt100 million says something about the whole phenomenon. Revenues from "Satree Lek" and "Bang Rajan" also exceeded most American blockbusters.
If more and more locally-made films -with quality equal to the big Thai blockbusters - fill the theatre slots, Hollywood film profits will certainly be challenged from both the variety of Thai films and the shorter screening periods in local theatres.
To filmmakers: the cake is big enough and it's right on your plate.
It's up to you to produce good work and take your fair share. You no longer need to travel to Hollywood to do a great job.
Stay here, do your job well and you'll be handsomely rewarded. But beware, Hollywood is watching over you guys.
Published on Sep 28, 2002
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