The Thai resort town of Pattaya has played host to a major award ceremony for the Indian film industry.
The International Bangla Film Academy (IBFA), a Kolkata-based association set up to promote Bengali language films, held its first awards ceremony near the eastern Thai destination from 30 June and 2 July. The event was televised live by Kolkata TV and is expected to give a major boost to Pattaya’s tourism marketing in the Indian market.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which sponsored the event, said it also expects a rise in the number of Bengali filmmakers choosing the area as a shooting location for films.
“Given the tremendous growth potential of the Indian market, the TAT welcomes the opportunity to showcase Thailand during the International Bangla Film Academy’s first awards ceremony. We are very happy that many Indian filmmakers from Bollywood, just like US filmmakers from Hollywood, are finding Thailand a good place to shoot movies and TV series. It is one of the main reasons why Thailand is growing in popularity among Indian travellers,” said TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni.
According to the Thailand Film Office, Thailand last year received 606 applications for foreign productions including 35 feature films, 296 advertisements, 155 documentaries, 86 TV series and 34 music videos. The estimated income from the shoots was THB1.23 billion (US$38.3m). Indian filmmakers were the country’s third largest market, with 107 applications, behind only Europe (119 applications) and Japan (113).
