Bangkok, Thailand, October 19-20, 2024 – The recent workshop titled “Fostering Cultural Exchange Between Thai and Myanmar Youth,” held from October 19 to 20, 2024, in Bangkok, served as a dynamic platform for celebrating and uniting the cultural heritages of Thailand and Myanmar. This vibrant event featured a documentary competition and cross-cultural exchanges, bringing together ten Myanmar youths along with four university staff members and eight Thai documentary teams to explore the shared cultural heritage of the Mekong region.
Organized by the National University of Arts and Culture, the workshop was part of the Mekong Documentary Film Festival project, funded by the Mekong Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF) and managed by the Mekong Institute (MI). The project aims to document and share traditional games and foods through media, highlighting the rich cultural tapestry of the Mekong countries. The Thai Documentary Filmmakers Trade Association (TDFA) collaborated with Deep Doc Media to facilitate this initiative.
Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Director of MKCF and MI’s Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Department, emphasized the fund’s commitment to exploring future funding opportunities for projects dedicated to documenting intangible cultural heritage across the Mekong. He highlighted MKCF’s role in empowering youth to lead efforts in heritage preservation, ensuring that traditional practices adapt to a rapidly evolving world.
“We are grateful to bring Thai youth filmmaking talent to the world,” stated Weeraya Vichayaprasertkul, CEO of Deep Doc Media.
The winning films from this workshop will be showcased at the Mekong Creative Film Festival 2024 in Myanmar. This event provides an international platform for emerging Thai filmmakers to present their cultural narratives and deepen understanding of regional traditions.
The workshop also fostered rich cultural exchanges during documentary pitching sessions, allowing Myanmar students to gain valuable insights into Thai traditional culture. Participants strengthened cross-cultural connections by sharing traditional foods and engaging in traditional games together.
Beyond the competition, participants visited iconic sites such as Wat Arun, the National Museum Bangkok, and Chatuchak Market. During these excursions, they evaluated similarities and differences between Thai and Myanmar traditional games and foods.
The event culminated in announcing the winners of the Deep Doc Pitching 2024 competition. The award for best documentary on Thai Traditional Games went to “Where Time Sings Softly,” directed by Jittarin Wuthiphan, which explores how Bangkok’s aging urban communities adapt their traditional games to modern contexts. The award for best documentary on Thai Traditional Food was presented to “Handmade Noodles,” directed by Chinnapat Sukchanya, a poignant film about a village striving to maintain its handmade mee Phimai noodle culture amid rising machine-made alternatives.
To learn more about the MKCF, visit: www.mekongrok.org
