Venice Film Festival - 07/09/2026 - World Premiere The Burning Giants
This ambitious work is part quasi-realist pandemic tale and part meditation on Thai history, society and culture… It doesn’t take long for the various strands to come together, though Aroonpheng does have one shocking twist up his sleeve… In his world, society includes marginalised groups and here he raises them literally to the same plane as the country’s foundational epic,.. Fascinating…
Boyd Van Hoeij - SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
Acres of tropical vegetation are imagined as a deeply political space as well as one where fantastical phenomena arise, which always induce a dark awe, with no tonal preciousness or whimsy to be found... whilst that initial description evokes a lair from a Sean Connery James Bond film, what Aroonpheng devises, as we discover later on, is even more imaginative and uncanny.… As The Burning Giants ends, it’s hard to deny we’ve seen something striking and possessed with a visionary fervour…
David Katz - CINEUROPA
there is a particular characteristic beyond the way time is stretched into an almost spiritual experience: a way of relating to nature as a space that invites mystery and the mystical. This is what makes The Burning Giants distinctive, although it would hardly be fair to say it is its only virtue.. a universal story about relationships of affection, power, and strength within a recognizable socioeconomic context… I like films like this, films that provoke me beyond inertia, that offer questions instead of answers and make me think that cinema can be so much more than what I imagined… The Burning Giants finds its strength in this ability to remain between states: between the real and the fantastic… the narrative’s ambition is laudable in transforming smoke, forest, and disease into traces of a historical violence that insists on remaining visible even when every mechanism of power is working to bury it.
Alessio Zuccari - CINEMATOGRAFO
A stunning plunge into what’s concealed… Recent and mythic past swirl in a mystifying, alluring concoction… A great film proves itself when it can make its grand, unexpected pivot feel fluent and a natural bend… The Burning Giants isn’t afraid of ambition or bold swerves… A deeply moving experience. This incredibly raw, affecting coda dredges up the humanity beneath the violence and displacement. New beginnings are possible, with some courage and willingness…
Dabanjan Dhar - OUTLOOK
A devastating film that gradually takes on an intriguing, mythical quality.… Enhanced by a minimalist, deeply atmospheric sound design, these dual laments become a powerful elegy for the displaced Karen people…. t remains enchanting and heartbreaking – haunted by abuses of power and the loss of a world that once felt sacred.
CLOSE-UP CULTURE
Press release 27 July 2026 - The Burning Giants
THE BURNING GIANTS, the new feature film by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng,the acclaimed Thai director of (MANTA RAY, 2018 – Venice Orizzonti Award for Best Film) returns to Venice to present his third feature and has been selected for Orrizonti competiton during the 2026 Venice Film Festival
On location shot in Thailand with cast Awat Ratanapintha, Pakapol Srirongmuang, Waywiree Ittianunkul, Tanutwut Rodpai
Director of Photography : Emo Weemhof from the Netherlands.
The film is an international co-production between Diversion (Thailand), Sluizer Film Productions (The Netherlands). 13 Little Pictures (Singapore), Nord-Ouest Films (France).
Supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, CNC Aide aux Cinema du Monde, Region Isle de France, Institut Francais, THACCA, Singapore Film Commission
World sales: Lucky Number (excluding Thailand, Singapore, Benelux)
THE BURNING GIANTS Synopsis:
Mysterious smoke covers western Thailand, triggering a strange infectious disease whose symptoms resemble burns inflicted by an invisible fire.
A villager from an ethnic minority is arrested and taken to a quarantine center. There, he dreams of returning to his mountain homeland. His wife, who has sought refuge in Bangkok, shares the same longing. But their hope is threatened by the forest rangers determined to burn down their village to make way for a national park.
Beyond the veil the smoke, an abandoned theatre stands hidden in the jungle, haunted by ogre soldiers fleeing the King's army in an ancient war mirroring the struggle of the villagers.
The film tells the story of an oppressed minority grieving the loss of their homeland. At the same time, through a carefully constructed metaphor, it explores the complex relationship between the monarchy—within Thailand's long tradition of regarding royalty as possessing a divine status—and ordinary people. Set against the backdrop of a mythological war between the king's divine army and a giant representing the common people, the film draws inspiration from the Thai epic poem Ramakien.
Inspired by the true story of a Karen activist, from the mountains of Thailand, evicted from protected forests and murdered for defending his land , the film carries a weight far beyond the screen.
Anatomy of Time - Dutch premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Anatomy of Time - worldpremiere Venice Film festival 2021
Oeuvre box on shortlist " Il cinema Ritrovato"Bolongna
We are proud to be selectedto be amongst the finalistfor DVD awards at the festival " Il Cinema Ritrovato" in Bologna , Italy with the dvd-oeuvre box "colected works"
The box was made in colleoration withe Eye filmmuseum , Haghe Film Digital en supported by The Dutch Film Fund and the prince Bernard Culrure fund.
We are in the good company withBertolucci, Cimino, Rosselini and Orson Welles
