SEAMTP exhibit included in Chop Shots video recap

Here's a video recap from the Chop Shots Documentary Film Festival S.E. Asia held last December in Jakarta, Indonesia. At 1 minute, 52 seconds there are some good shots of the SEA Movie Theater Project exhibit that accompanied the festival.

The Peth Kasem Theater - Nakon Pathom, Thailand (Guest Photos)

The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis was bad for Thailand's independent movie theaters. From the moment of impact, followed by months of downward spiral, scores of already-struggling family movie theaters closed their doors as crowds and access to credit grew scarce. The crisis came to a head because of unregulated speculation in the Thai currency market. When that speculation bubble burst, the financial system collapsed, leaving countless theater operators, with their costly overhead and dwindling attendance, out in the cold. (Of course, the impact went well beyond just theater operators, but for our interests here at the SEA Movie Theater Project, we'll stop at their lament.)

Featured below is the Peth Kasem Theater, a casualty of the '97 crisis located in the Bangkok satellite city of Nakorn Pathom. Like most small Thai cities, many of Nakorn Pathom's locally owned and operated movie theaters closed after the '97 meltdown. Today the structure lives on as a dingy parking garage in a narrow alley, its former luster a thing of the past.

The Peth Kasem Theater once had a seating capacity of 1,200.

Veranda area

What was once the concessions area.

 

Side doors

Poster of former starlet Jarunee found in upper level.

"Projection room"

It's good fortune that there are a few followers out there who take the time to send in their own movie theater photos. The Peth Kasem is one such submission. These photos come courtesy of a dedicated friend of the Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project, Regis Madec, who's web-site Thai Worldview lists, among other things, numerous Thai film synopses and listings. It's a great resource for those with a yen for Thai cinema.

Vientainale Int'l Film Fest to Hold Exhibition

At the end of February, a full year will have passed since my last foray into movie theater documentation. This year long hiatus, following 4 years of more or less steady work, has indeed made the heart grow fonder. Hopefully something will give at some point down the road, and the chance to explore the towns and cities of Southeast Asia will arise. Hopefully, then, there will still be a few old theaters to chronicle. In the past year, the rate of attrition for stand-alone movie theaters in Southeast Asia has been extremely high. 

In the meantime, the photographic output of this project continues to show its wings. Just in time to celebrate the one year anniversary of my last documented theater, an new exhibition will be unveiled. 

The 3rd annual Vientianale International Film Festival, in Vientiane, Laos will feature as a side event a 10-image set of SEA Movie Theater Project photos. The images will remain on display at the I:Cat Gallery for two weeks after the end of the film fest, which will run from February 26th to March 2nd.

If you're in the neighborhood stop by and enjoy some free movies and photos.

As seen in Semarang

Another exhibition is upon us, folks. Following the Chop Shots Southeast Asian Documentary Film Fest in Jarkarta, Indonesia this past December, the Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project photo series has changed locales. Its latest home is at the Dutch-Indonesia Cultural and Language Center, in the city of Semarang.

Not many more details to report than that. So if you should find yourself in Semarang, or have it as a destination on your Indonesian itinerary, drop by the Center and have look at some pretty photos of Southeast Asia's dwindling stand-alone movie theaters. A guaranteed treat for your eyes.

Thailand's scintillating dimensional signage

Organizing Southeast Asia's movie theaters into distinct architectural categories has become a key component of this project. The numerous categories to define lead to an even richer number of subcategories to delve into. A more difficult task is trying to get the general public, to say nothing of those in the architectural field, to accept these categories as legit.

Some of the more obvious categories can be broken down by era, region or country. At its most specific, a single architect might be responsible for a certain look. But no matter which view one chooses to take, each characteristic is fixed in time and geography, and belies a greater cultural influence.

Although by no means exclusive to Thailand, rooftop dimensional signage was almost universal on Thai stand-alone movie theaters built between the 1930's and 1980's. No conversation about Thai theater architecture from this era would be complete without its mention. Decorative fonts were combined with neon-lit outlining to create what was often the most attractive signage around. This eye-catching detail, usually mounted on the theater's roof, is completely absent from Burmese cinemas. In neighboring Laos, however, it did occasionally occur.

So in homage to this nearly-lost art, one of the boldest signatures in movie theater architecture out there, here's a series of dimensional signs from Thailand.

Enjoy

The Chalerm Kiad Theater - Bangkok

The Phaholtothin Rama (streetside signage) - Bangkok

The Phaholyothin Rama - Bangkok

The Ratchatewee Rama - Bangkok

The Somdet Theater - Somdet, Kalasin

The Thonburi Rama - Bangkok

The Amarin Theater - Loei

The Jaroen Rath Theater - Korat

The Sri Nakorn Phapayon - Hang Chat, Lampang

The Pratuchai Theater - Lampang

The Lopburi Theater - Lopburi

The Malai Rama - Lopburi

The Meuang Thong Rama - Payao

The Nakorn Suwan Rama - Nakorn Suwan

The Payao Rama - Payao

The Pua Rama - Pua, Nan

The Taphan Hin Rama - Taphan Hin, Pichit

The Meuang Thong Rama - Singburi

The Chalerm Rath - Udonthani

The Ubol Phapayon - Ubol Ratchathani

The Sri Saket Rama - Sri Saket

The Peth Rama - Loei

The Peth Siam Theater - Nong Khai

The Amarin Rama - Suwan Khalok, Sukhothai

The Nakorn Luang Rama - Bangkok, Thailand

Featured below is the Nakorn Luang Rama, formerly of Jaransanitwong soi 29/1 in Bangkok. The grand old 2nd-run theater had a seating capacity of 1,534.

It was built in 1979 and closed down in 2005, before meeting its ultimate fate in September of 2011. 

Judging by its architecture, it looks as if the Nakorn Luang was designed by the same person that did the Ngamwongwan Theater, otherwise it's an identical copy.  

Sympathy for this stalled if not dead project still runs high. Many thanks to long-time contributor to the SEA Movie Theater Project and prolific movie theater chronicler in his own, Mr. Peep, for sending these photos along.

A reminder of better days at the Washington

The below photos depict the Washington Theater in a slightly more decorative light than the previous post. At the time of their taking in the early 2000's, its movie screening days had already past and the Mambo cabaret had taken up the lease.  

The Washington Theater once stood behind the street side marquee and signage pictured above. 

In its heyday during the last quarter of the 20th century, the Washington was a premiere Sukhumvit Road movie destination, particularly for Hollywood and Bollywood films. The theater's parent company, the Asia Rama Network, circulated movies between its numerous first and second run theaters throughout metropolitan Bangkok, nearly all of which have been demolished.

These two shots come courtesy of the thoughtful Mr. Peep, a long time contributor to this blog.

Washington Theater movie ticket