The Island Funeral

This road movie deals with the problem of a politically divided country, in which the south is marketed as a tourist paradise, while at the same time is in a state of emergency on the brink of a civil war. The young protagonist Laila travels with her brother, her boyfriend, and a soldier down to the southern part of Pattani province; the part of Thailand with a Muslim population. This trip thus becomes the moment of reflective understanding about the “differences”, which have been an issue in the eyes of many in other parts of the country.

Pimpaka Towira was one of the first Thai filmmakers whose films were internationally successful. She served as a jury at international film festivals and was awarded the Silpathorn Award of the Thai Ministry of Culture in 2009.

Benjamaporn Rattanaraungdetch is a director of photography based in Germany and Thailand. She graduated from University of Television and Film Munich (HFF) and has been working for internationally acclaimed artists/filmmakers such as Pimpaka Towira, Arin Rungjang and Bussaraporn Thongchai.