VDP organizes screenings of films and documentaries from Southeast Asia in cooperation with the Kyoto International Film Festival annually around this time of the year. This year, we will screen “Phra Rod Merre” with Japanese subtites, in memory of the late director Sompote Saengduenchai. Director Sompote produced many special effects (tokusatsu) films in Thailand after studying special effects techniques under director Eiji Tsuburaya during his two years of film study in Japan in the early 1960s. The story is based on a folk tale called “twelve sisters” that is widely known in mainland Southeast Asia. The film achieved major success in Thailand when it was released in 1981. Dr. Hiramatsu, who conducts research on Japanese and Thai comparative literature and culture from the perspectives of Buddhism and gender, will give a commentary for a deeper understanding of the film. (We are sorry but English subtitles and interpretation are not provided at this event.)