Hara Factory Worker Struggle and Thai Film Archive

13:00-16:00

In English with moderation from Lisabona Rahman
Free Entry, Walk-in, Limited Seats

Hara Factory Worker Struggle(การต่อสู้ของกรรมกรหญิงโรงงานฮาร่า)
Jon Uengphakorn, Thailand 1975, 55 min. Thai with English subtitles

The masterclass uses Hara Factory Worker Struggle, Jon Ungpakorn’s 1975 documentary on the female workers’ struggle called as a starting point to learn about the progressive filmmaking scene of the time. Between 1973 and 1976, social movements were thriving in Thailand with active participation from workers, farmers, students, intellectuals and artists. The film was made collectively in 1975 by a group of amateur filmmakers: Jon Uengphakorn, Sudathip Inthorn, Lawan and Somphot Uppa-in. By the time they finished the production in 1976, a military coup d’etat took place. The film remained unscreened until it entered the collection of the Thai Film Archive and was restored. Kong Rithdee will here share insights into the experience of the archive in saving this important document of progressive social struggle.

Kong Rithdee is a writer, translator and critic on film. He has written about films for nearly 19 years with the Bangkok Post and other publications. Rithdee is also Deputy Director of Thai Film Archive, Thailand.