« MYSTERIOUS SET PHOTOS | Main | HONG KONG MARTIAL ARTS AWARDS »
April 04, 2006
BKIFF LOSES DIRECTOR
Gossip overheard while hiding in a men's room stall in Hong Kong reveals that there's a strong chance that Craig Prater, the executive director of the troubled Bangkok International Film Festival, won't be returning to the festival next year. I take it back. It's 100% definite. Prater has made no secret of the difficulties faced by the fest (sample quote: "You can't have an international festival that works with only one airline. Hotels need to be reserved years in advance. But that is just not the Thai way.") and apparently he's had enough.
Expect a carefully worded press release some time before the next festival in which every word, every phrase, and every punctuation mark has been carefully selected to give the impression that this is an exciting, positive, fun! fun! fun! move, rather than a frustrated guy calling it quits.
April 4, 2006 at 12:01 AM in News | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/4593318
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference BKIFF LOSES DIRECTOR:
Comments
Craig Prater has had enough of the Bangkok Film Festival? Prater has made no secret of the difficulties faced by the fest?
How about: we have had enough of Mr Prater's inefficiency, arrogance, and blissful ignorance of the context of Bangkok. The guy and his cohort were paid a handsome amount of Thai taxpayers' money to deliver a lousy festival that cares nothing--I repeat, NOTHING--about the Thai community of film-goers. They treated the Bangkok festival as if it was an American Film Festival in Bangkok. They flew in their neighbours and friends, disguised as "movie experts", who descended in Bangkok and started bossing around the Thai staff as if their ancestors have discovered this continent. They know nothing about treating others with respect, and they are in a pathetic mode of constant denial and kept babbling that the BKK IFF is a "great festival". Besides his hairstyle, which resembles that of an impotent peacock, Mr Prater and his team have done nothing of service to the state of Thai film culture. His departure is more than welcome. Best if he could take all his friends with him.
Insider
Posted by: ThaiInsider | Apr 4, 2006 1:59:06 AM
Agreed with ThaiInsider. Prater and his crew did nothing for the Bangkok Film Festival. Almost no international films subtitled in Thai. Almost no events with Thai translators. Just a steady stream of arrogant bullshit.
The idea of getting some international help for the festival is a good idea (no need to rediscover the wheel), but Prater and friends were terrible.
Posted by: Noah Body | Apr 4, 2006 6:47:05 AM
If you don't know who Grady is talking about, you must read this puff piece about him: http://tinyurl.com/n87mg
Someone please apologize to Thailand.
Posted by: Long Duk Dong | Apr 5, 2006 3:47:01 PM
note to self: bamboozling 3rd world country is a cinch when one assumes tanned white guy with charismatic poise.
Posted by: ed | Apr 5, 2006 4:59:18 PM
Subscribe to this blog's feed