''Mekhong Full Moon Party'' (; ; literally, "The 15th Day of the 11th Month") is a

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Thai

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

about the

Naga fireball Naga fireballs (; ), also known as ''bung fai phaya nak'' or "Mekong lights" and formerly "ghost lights", are a phenomenon said to be seen annually on the Mekong River. Glowing balls are alleged to naturally rise from the water high into the air. ...

s that arise from the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

Nong Khai Nong Khai (, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near the site of the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, span ...

on the full moon in October. Written by

Jira Maligool Jira Maligool (; ; born 1961) is a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer. He has directed three films, ''Mekhong Full Moon Party'', ''The Tin Mine'' and ''Seven Something'' (part 42.195), and was the screenwriter behind the ...

, the film was also Jira's directorial debut. The film takes a semi-

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

approach to its subject, examining the phenomenon and its accompanying festival, which draws thousands of people to Nong Khai each year, as well as providing a glimpse at

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

culture,

Thai folklore Thai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large ...

and such practices as

eating insects Entomophagy (, from Greek wikt:ἔντομον, ἔντομον ', 'insect', and wikt:φαγεῖν, φαγεῖν ', 'to eat') is the practice of eating insects. An alternative term is insectivory. Terms for organisms that practice entomophagy ...

Plot

Khan, a

native now attending university in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

comes home for the annual Naga fireballs festival, just as a debate is raging over the cause of the fireballs. A local physician, Dr. Nortai, believes there is a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. A university professor, Dr. Suraphol, thinks the fireballs are manmade and are a hoax. Khan knows the truth: Having grown up as a dek wat at a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple across the river in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, he helped the temple's abbot and the monks there to create fireballs and plant them on the bed on the

. It is how he grew up to become such a strong swimmer and obtain an athletic scholarship. The temple's abbot, Luang Poh Loh, seeks Khan out and begs him to once again help with the planting of the fireballs. But Khan, weary of perpetuating a myth and of the crowds that accompany it, refuses. This sets up a conflict between science and religion that threatens to change the annual celebration. For his part, Luang Poh Loh is philosophical, advising "Do what you believe, believe in what you do."

Cast

* Anuchyd Sapanphong as Khan * Noppadol Duangporn as Luang Por Loh * Boonchai Limathibul as Dr. Norati *

Somlek Sakdikul Somlek Sakdikul () (born, 10 November 1953) is a Thai film actor and musician. He is sometimes credited as Somchai Sakdikul. He portrayed "Suwat" or "Daddy", the lecherous music producer in Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's 2001 comedy, ''Monrak Transistor''. ...

as Dr. Surapol * Thidarat Chareonchaichana as Teacher Alice * Boonsri Yindee as Aunt Oong * Surasee Patham as Headmaster * Jonathan Morrill as Phelong

Festivals and awards

The film won nine awards at the

Thailand National Film Awards The Suphannahong National Film Awards (, also known as the Thailand National Film Association Awards) is the primary film award of the Thai film industry. It is given annually by the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association ...

, including honors for best picture, best director and best screenplay for

and best actor to Noppadol Duangporn. It won the

International Federation of Film Critics The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the worl ...

award at the

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia's oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies and filmmakers from different countries, and takes place in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens ...

and was in the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 Sovereign state, states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its ...

competition at the 2003

Bangkok International Film Festival The Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF) () is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards. History First years The ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festi ...

and was screened at many other festivals including the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

and the

Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival () is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November, and focuses on emerging and early career fil ...

External links

* {{Suphannahong National Film Award for Best Picture 2002 films 2002 comedy-drama films Films about religion Thai-language films Films about Buddhism Best Picture Suphannahong National Film Award winners Thai national heritage films 2002 directorial debut films Thai comedy-drama films 2000s Thai films