Santikhiri Sonata

This film was shot in an area called Santikhiri, which means “the Hill of Peace”. After General Prem’s government came to power in the 1980s, everything—drugs, communism, corruption, human trafficking, and stateless persons—was entirely suppressed to foster order and peace. “When I was a kid, the TV was filled with propaganda, instilling in people’s minds that the military government protected the country from different threats. The unwavering illusion and pride in the country’s status of never having been colonized have successfully shaped our blind nationalism.” (Thunska Pansittivorakul)