‘Manta Ray - Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’

The screening will take place for free on the roof of Bozar.

​​​​​​​Near a coastal village of Thailand, by the sea where thousands of Rohingya refugees have drowned, a local fisherman finds an injured man lying unconscious in the forest. He rescues the stranger, who does not speak a word, offers him his friendship and names him Thongchai. But when the fisherman suddenly disappears at sea, Thongchai slowly begins to take over his friend’s life – his house, his job and his ex-wife…

The feature film debut of the Thai filmmaker is a empathetic portrait of the friendship between a Thai fisherman and a wounded refugee blended with hints of magical realism. Phuttiphong Aroonpheng (1976) studied fine arts at Bangkok’s Silpakorn University. His 2015 short, Ferris Wheel, screened in over 20 festivals and received 10 awards.

This event has been organised in the framework of the Close-up: Apichatpong Weerasethakul.