This thesis aims to challenge the shortcomings identified in the analysis of transnationally funded non-western cinema shown at the international film festival circuit, which mainly results from...Show moreThis thesis aims to challenge the shortcomings identified in the analysis of transnationally funded non-western cinema shown at the international film festival circuit, which mainly results from framing these films as parts of a ‘National cinema’ and by analyzing them within western frameworks and according to western points of reference. Focusing on Thai films funded by the Hubert Bals Fund over the past 20 years, this thesis offers a contextual approach to modern cinema with a focus on locality and local history. This thesis is an attempt to reduce the gap between the respective fields of Area Studies and Film Studies as well.Show less
This thesis seeks to analyze the cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (1970-) by placing it within a context of the history of Thai nationality, borders and geography, specifically focusing on the...Show moreThis thesis seeks to analyze the cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (1970-) by placing it within a context of the history of Thai nationality, borders and geography, specifically focusing on the region of Isan and its history with and within Thailand. It aims to show how his work subverts the master narrative offered in official media that concerns Thailand as a nation state with a fixed identity and national language and instead gives a voice to marginalized identities by making room for a multitude of experienced realities and stories within Thailand. This thesis is an attempt to reduce the gap between the respective fields of Area Studies and Film Studies as well.Show less
