Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Netflix’s director of content, Thailand, recently revealed what subscribers can expect from the streaming service in terms of local content.
He said, “With seven series and one feature film, our local line-up promises to be bigger, bolder, and best in class for our members throughout the year. The momentum for this year builds on the enthusiastic reception of our Thai series and films last year.”
Nonzee Nimbutr (Once Upon A Star) and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (6ixtynin9 The Series), two of Thailand’s most well-known filmmakers, came out of their hiatuses to create original content for Netflix last year. This year’s line-up will also see noted directors creating content for Netflix, including Kongkiat Komesiri, who directed the Khun Pan trilogy, and Paween Purijitpanya, who’s known for Girl From Nowhere.
The upcoming original Thai titles on Netflix are:
Ready, Set, Love (premiered on Feb 15) — In a parallel universe, female newborns vastly outnumber their male counterparts due to an inexplicable pandemic. As men become rarer, they are regarded as “national treasures”, and women must win their affections in a government-sponsored competition called Ready, Set, Love.
The Believers (premieres on March 27) — Three young and ambitious entrepreneurs must find a way to repay a mountain of debt from their failed start-up. They stumble upon a “business” opportunity of exploiting people’s beliefs in religion for money.
Doctor Climax (premieres in May) — In the late 70s, when sex was still a taboo subject, the life of a strait-laced doctor specialising in STDs is turned upside down when he starts moonlighting as a sex columnist under the pseudonym “Doctor Climax”. Chantavit “Ter” Dhanasevi plays the titular role.
Terror Tuesday: Extreme — A collection of haunting hit stories inspired by the radio programme Angkhan Khlumpong (Terror Tuesday) on Atime’s EFM with terrorising twists and turns that are dialled up to the extreme. No release date yet.
Master Of The House — When a diamond tycoon dies mysteriously, a cutthroat battle over his estate erupts between his ruthless heirs and the housemaid whom their father recently married. No release date yet.
Don’t Come Home — A mother and her young daughter flee to their family’s abandoned mansion but soon find themselves haunted by paranormal incidents that lead to the little girl’s mysterious disappearance. Another horror in the line-up with no release date yet. Noted cast members include actress Woranuch Bhirombhakdi and model Cindy Sirinya Bishop.
Tomorrow And I — This anthology series explores the intersection of futuristic technologies and Thai culture and the unimaginable tensions and moral dilemmas that arise out of their inevitable conflict. The freshest and sci-fi-est premise of the lineup and Ray MacDonald plays a Buddhist monk. Paween Purijitpanya directs the series.
Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell — When a dedicated rescue worker inadvertently gets caught up in the kidnapping plot of a mogul’s tween daughter, he must save her from the clutches of rival gangs hunting them down with unpredictable dangers around every corner. The only film in the slate, starring heartthrob Sukollawat “Weir” Kanaros, is directed by Kongkiat Komesiri.
Netflix has proven to be a launch pad for Thai content to find a following outside Thailand. Hunger clinched the Best Feature Film at the 2023 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) and was Netflix’s most-watched film from the Asia-Pacific region in the first half of 2023. It would be interesting to see if these upcoming titles would also gain international cred.