The Phuket Film Festival started on Saturday. Organizer Scott Rosenberg is hoping to create something similar to the success of the Bangkok International Film Festival. All great things have to start from somewhere. The problem with this film festival is that there isn’t anything about it that leaps out and demands attention.

The event schedule was release about a week ago and all the films are being shown at the newly-opened SF Cinema in Jungceylon. It’s great that Patong finally has a cinema; long overdue.

The list of films being shown includes most of the big Thai movies from the past year, including King Naresuan 1 and 2, Season Change and Ploy. There is also a screening of Surf’s Up. I like penguins so will probably go and watch this.

There will be a few lectures held until the festival reaches its climax on October 27 with the People’s Choice Awards.

I don’t want to knock the guys organizing the film festival, but I think this is something that will have to grow if it is to ever become a serious event. For a start, the website needs to be overhauled and redesigned. Also, I have never seen someone use a redirect to point to two completely different websites. Go to www.phuketfilmfestival.com and you get the film festival website, but go to phuketfilmfestival.com and you get redirected to the SF Cinema page. That’s ridiculous.

The opening gala at Jungceylon on Saturday didn’t draw a huge crowd, but it was well organized and the food and drinks were great. I didn’t recognize any of the celebrities but I’m told they were quite famous. The opening film was Dance Machine, which I didn’t have time to see.

Martin Scorsese was supposed to be attending, but because the dates of the festival were changed he was unable to make it. Shame.

Techno’ tags: Thailand, Phuket, Phuket Film Festival