Movies - Jira Maligool

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Jira Maligool (Thai จิระ มะลิกุล, born 1961) is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. He's directed two films, Mekhong Full Moon Party and The Tin Mine
, and was the screenwriter behind the international hit, The Iron Ladies.

Biography

Early career

Born in Thailand in 1961, Jira graduated in 1983 from Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Communication Arts, where he majored in film and photography. While still a student, he worked as a music video and movie commercial director.

In 1991, he co-founded his own film studio, Hub Ho Hin. In 2003, it was merged with GMM Grammy's film division and Tai Entertainment to form Grammy-Tai-Hub (or GTH) Films.

First features

Jira started out in feature films as the screenwriter for the 2000 film, The Iron Ladies (Satree lek), which was based on a true story about a gay and transvestite (katoey) men's volleyball team that won the Thailand national championship in 1996. That film went on to be a box-office hit in Thailand and has been a popular feature at international film festivals. It was directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun, who's gone on to direct a sequel to Iron Ladies as well as another comedy, M.A.I.D..

Jira made his directorial debut in 2002 with Mekhong Full Moon Party, which took a semi-documentary look at the phenomenon of Naga fireballs that arise from the Mekong at Nong Khai on the full moon in October. The film was received well critically, and was a box-office hit as well. He said he was inspired to make the film after reading a magazine article that featured a debate about the fireballs, with a university instructor believing the fireballs were manmade while a physician thought they were a supernatural phenonmenon.

Hit producer

He also was behind the hit 2003 film, Fan Chan (My Girl), a nostaglic look at childhood in 1980s Thailand. The film's ensemble of six directors - Komgrit Treewimol, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharatorn, Vijja Kojew, Vithaya Thongyuyong and Adisorn Tresirikasem - were students of Jira, who taught as a part-time professor in photography and cinematography classes at Chulalongkorn University. Two of those directors, Komgrit and Songyos, went on to direct hit films, Komgrit helming the romantic comedy Dear Dakanda in 2005 and Songyos with the hit 2006 thriller Dek Hor (Dorm).

Jira's second directorial effort, The Tin Mine
was a lavish production about a tin mine in southern Thailand in the 1950s. It was based on the short stories of Thai author Archin Panjabhan, who served as an adviser on the production. The film fared poorly at the Thai box office, but it has won several awards and has been featured at international film festivals.

Filmography

Director

Mekhong Full Moon Party (2002
)
The Tin Mine
(Maha'lai muang rae) (2005
)

Producer

Fan Chan (My Girl) (2003
)
Iron Ladies 2 (Satree lek 2) (2004)
Jaew M.A.I.D.: Mission Almost Impossible Done (2004
)
The Tin Mine
(Maha'lai muang rae) (2005
)
Dear Dakanda (Peun sanit) (2005)
Dek Hor (Dorm) (2006
)

Screenwriter

The Iron Ladies (Satree lek) (2000
)
Mekhong Full Moon Party (2002
)
The Tin Mine
(Maha'lai muang rae]] (2005
)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Jira Maligool ]

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