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The Tree Spirits of Thai Legend Are Taking Their Story to the World Stage
A Thai horror feature built around the Nang Mai, the female spirits said to dwell in trees in Thai folklore, is the only Thai project in this year’s Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, as first reported by Variety. The film lands at TIFFCOM, the market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival, after a breakthrough summer at Canada’s Frontières Co-Production Market, where it became the first Thai project ever selected and the first to win one of its top prizes.
Songsak Mongkolthong, whose credits include Graveyard Horror and School Tales the Series, is directing from a screenplay by Patrick Graham, the creator of Netflix’s Ghoul and Betaal. Death Whisperer star Rattanawadee “Mim” Wongthong leads the cast alongside Pae Arak and Weir Sukollawat of 4 Tigers, and Vikash Nowlakha, who shot the blockbuster Dhurandhar films, is handling cinematography. Mongkolthong told Variety the story raises the idea that the Nang Mai may not have come from where Thai tradition says they did, and uses that mystery to explore letting go of prejudice and rage in order to start over.
Benetone Films is producing with Fearfolks, and Benetone leaders Rachvin and Kulthep Narula said the company has treated the project as its first tentpole from the very beginning. Before Frontières, the film was also picked for the It Project market at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films during South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with a worldwide release aimed at 2028.
Director: Songsak Mongkolthong
Writer: Patrick Graham
Cast: Rattanawadee Wongthong, Pae Arak, Weir Sukollawat
Cinematographer: Vikash Nowlakha
Production Companies: Benetone Films, Fearfolks
Status: Shooting early 2027
Release: 2028
Source: Reporting and confirmation via Variety.