The Ethics of Making a Movie on the Thai Cave Rescue History



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At least one film production company is on the ground in Thailand with the intention of acquiring rights for a film on the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from a cave, a story that has caught the attention of the world. 19659002] The last of the football players and their trainer, trapped in the flood since June 23, were rescued on Tuesday from the Tham Luang labyrinthine complex in northern Thailand.

Pure Flix confirmed in an email to CBC News that the company is currently in the early stages of producing a project that would fit the story to the big screen.

The sectarian production company in Scottsdale, Arizona – which, among other things, offers a subscription-based streaming service promising only family-friendly content – said that it would likely produce the film under its banner more mainstream, Pinnacle Peak.

In a video released by Pure Flix on Facebook and Twitter, CEO, Michael Scott, said the company "sees this film as a film that can inspire millions of people around the world."

Pure Flix says that Scott's wife grew up with Kunan. She comes from Thailand the couple lives there for part of the year.

But there is already a good deal of skepticism among film experts and the public as to whether a film about boys will be treated with cultural integrity

white actors such as Mark Wahlberg and Scarlett Johansson, who have recently been criticized after getting a trans woman role.

RIGHT NOW AT HOLLYWOOD: dozens of Thai rescue films in caves are being developed, in which the hero is a sturdy US Navy Seal, seeking the redemption of an underground rescue under the fire of Afghanistan … "

@ jayrayner1

Is it too early to boycott the Hollywood film of the Thai Cave Rescue starring Mark Wahlberg?

@lindazge

While waiting for Scarlett Johansson playing the role of football coach in the rescue film of the Thai cave

@arctictony

Philbert Lui, marketing director of the Reel Asian International Film Festival, a nonprofit organization that showcases Asian cinema and advocates for diversity in the film industry, said that he thought that he was the only one in the world. it was too early for the producers to continue the story of the boys

"After what I read, the boys are still hospitalized." and in quarantine, and can not be physically w with their families, "he said. "One expects that such a miraculous story inspires millions, of course, but they need time to heal."

Who will be described as a hero?

Some reports suggest that the film Pure Flix would revolve around the story of British divers who found the boys at the bottom of the cave network. He told him that he was disappointed but not surprised.

"It's really a Thai story," he said. "Not to mention the efforts of foreign divers from the UK and Australia, the story should focus on Thai boys and this northern Thai community, instead of having a story that we've seen for years and years on a white savior in a foreign country

"This trope has just been used again and again and we are just tired, to be honest."

told him that He would like to see the film pay tribute to Saman Kunan, the former Navy SEAL who died last week while he was placing air tanks in the cave.

The rescuers carry a boy out of Tham Luang cave on this photo published on Wednesday. (Photo of Navy SEAL of Facebook / Associated Press)

The badistant coach of boys, Ekapol Chantawong, who takes the boys to the exit of the caves where they were caught by the floods , is another character rich in complexity. Associate Professor at Ryerson's RTA School of Media, where he teaches scriptwriting and story development. Chantawong was both criticized for driving the boys into the cave and praised for keeping them alive.

"Some people on social networks look at him as if he was black and white: he did something stupid.He did something heroic, but it did not work. is much grayer than that, "said Coutanche.

"I think that a producer would seek to deepen that and discover why he did what he did and how he managed to keep them alive."

But many hero roles have resurfaced in Caucasian figures, he says. "Daniel Day-Lewis will play a First Nations person or something like that, and he will do it for the movies."

What kind of salary is there for boys?

His other concern is whether the Thais receive adequate compensation from filmmakers

"Their remuneration should be at the top of the list, and none of us wants them to be exploited. and that a foreign production company and a foreign distributor are earning all the profits. "

suggested to her that funds could guarantee the education of boys, for example, and pay a memorial for Kunan.

The 12 boys who were saved are still in the hospital. Film industry experts say their best interests must be at the heart of any movie on their test. (Office of the Spokesman of the Thai Government)

He says it would not be the first time that a studio would go abroad "

Similarly, Coutanche warned that the process would probably not give much control to boys and their families about how their stories are told to the world

". T is really the question that concerns me: how are you going to introduce these boys that could impact their lives, "he said. "And how will they be paid for that, because that would be the only big advantage for them, they already have enough advertising like that."

Still, he said that producers would do well to pay a higher price for history, especially with the public who has invested in the way players and coaches get in. come out

. But above all, traditional broadcasters such as Netflix, Crave and HBO, as well as conventional TV channels, how do you differentiate? "The answer is that there must be a very strong hook," Coutanche said. 19659002] The hook is already built in this story, he said – the public has been investing in the result for weeks, he said.

"The story is about young kids so it's automatically emotionally engaging. So, a producer from a business point of view would say," Yeah, this story will stand out, "Coutanche says.

"For lack of a better way of expressing it, she already has her own promotion on the spot."

] (Peter Kovalik / CBC)

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