LEKHA SHANKAR

                  A Moving Biopic about a Real-Life Executioner

                 Will be Screened at Cannes Market, on 20 MAY

  It's one of the most talked-about  films in Thailand,this year,starring an actor who created a stir at the Cannes Festival,last year.

  The actor was ‘God’ in the controversial Cannes Competition film ‘Only God Forgives’,last year, and this year, he plays  the ‘Executioner’ in a film entitled 'The Last Executioner', that will be screened at the Cannes Market.

We're talking of the extraordinary Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm, who plays the lead, in the most anticipated Thai film of 2014 - ‘ The Last Executioner.’

The film will be screened at the Cannes Market,in the presence of its Thai-Brit director Tom Waller.

Waller's  company De Warrenne Pictures has been the line-producer for many Hollwyood productions, from the mega Ninja series to the indie ' 'Secret Sharer' , to the big-budget ‘Mechanic 2 ‘, next.

Waller’s directorial debut ‘Mindfulness and Murder’ also starred Vithaya Pansringarm, the only Thai film that the latter has done (he has mostly been involved with international productions shot in Thailand) ,where he played a detective-turned-monk . The movie was well-received at several festivals around the world.

The actor's next Thai film will be renowned Thai director Penek Ruttunaruang's film 'Samui Song',that will start shooting in October.

The Last  Executioner is a biopic,based on the real-life story of the country's last ‘hangman’, Chavoret Jaruboon. 

Chavoret carried out 55 killings in his unenviable 'job' . But there were others sides to him. He was a lively rock-singer, a committed family-man, friendly,sociable person, whose own death happened only two years back 

The moving and rivetting story uses his  personal tale to deal with the larger Issues of Life, Death, Karma.

Playing Chavoret’s wife is well-known Thai actress Penpak Sirikul.

 The film also stars arresting French-American -Thai actor David Asavanond, who studied acting at the Lee Strasberg  Institute,  in a pivotal role ( he won many local  awards, last year, for  his role in the Thai film 'Countdown'). The cinematographer is Wade Muller from Australia,now based in Hongkong, while the script-writer  is Thailand-based American Don Linder .

Linder was the only  man who had met the real 'executioner', and had  interacted closely with him and his family.Infact,he still keeps in touch with the 'executioner's  widow and sons. 

Waller had long discussions with Linder, before assigning him  to write  the script of the film. 

Linder said that he  based his script, both on his conversations with Chavoret,and on the autobiography of  the Thai hangman,which was also called ‘The Last Executioner.’

 He informed that the family of the executioner was looking forward to seeing the film, which will be released in  Bangkok on 3 JULY.

‘THE LAST  EXECUTIONER’  WILL BE SCREENED AT LERINS 2,  CANNES MARKET, ON TUES 20 MAY

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