Also read: Can Bangkok's Next Governor Save our City?

GREENER CITY

Suharit Siamwalla
Use the income for Bangkok's garbage concessions to build more parks.

Sopon Pornchokechai
Encourage vertical development by introducing tax exemptions for developers who build parks near their projects; negotiate to transform private empty spaces into parks.

Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Introduce 5,000 rai of green space through 10 new parks; build Bangkok's first island park and dog park; support installation of private green roofs; move electricity lines underground.

Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Expand parks; rent land from the Treasury Department t2o build more parks; transform spaces under expressways into green spaces; offer free Wi-Fi at all parks; build walkways and bicycle lanes along the Chao Phraya River.

Toranee Ritteedhamrong
Build herbal parks on vacant government land around Bangkok.

BICYCLE CITY

Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Promising to personally cycle to work; clear all obstacles, motorcycles and vendors from bike lanes; allow cyclists to carry bikes on the BTS and buses.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Create 30 new bike lanes; install 10,000 new rental bikes around the city; build bathrooms for cyclists at the new BMA office in Dindaeng.
Suharit Siamwalla
Make bicycles the top transportation choice by system and law; build bike lanes connecting with the BTS, MRT and Airport Link; introduce a monthly Car-Free Day.
Sopon Pornchokechai
Implement the First Electric Bicycle project to provide people with cheap electric bicycles.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Sereepisut Temeeyaves
Free air-con buses.
Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Free buses with new routes between Bangkok and the suburbs; reduce all air-con bus tickets to B10; reduce BTS tickets to all stations to B20; free boats in canals; introduce a monorail system between BTS and MRT.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Reduce the BRT price from B10 to B5; reduce BTS tickets at extension stations from B15 to B10; develop a new mini-BRT that doesn't take up car lanes; introduce boat routes in Paseecharoen Canal connecting to the new BTS stations; install five light rail and monorail routes around the city.
Kosit Suvinijjit
24-hour transportation system on both land and water.
Sanhapot Suksrimuang
Annul all contracts with private buses and buy more buses for the BMTA.
Wasin Pirom
Free rides on the BTS and MRT before 7am.
Sophon Pornchokchai
Upgrade the BRT to BTS or light rail network.

CONSERVATION

Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Reintroduce a 12km monorail route with 12 stations in the Rattanakosin area.
Sophon Pornchokchai
Classify historical areas as “Thainess conservative districts” and create the world's biggest night bazaar in the Rattanakosin area.
Pratheep Watcharachokkasem
Build only tall buildings in inner Bangkok to match land prices.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Add and support cultural and conservation areas such as Taladploo, Bangkoknoi, Talingchan and Kadeejeen.

DISABILITY-FRIENDLY CITY

Chamras Intumas No.15
Social welfare for elderly and disabled people of B5,000 a month.
Pongsapat Pongcharoen No.9
Build disabled-friendly footpaths; improve access to BTS; encourage schools to accept disabled kids to study alongside fully-abled students; create a disabled peoples register to better provide them with homes or professional care.
Sereepisut Temeeyaves No.11
Improve building entrances and bus stops for disabled people.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra No.16
Install 350 footways for disabled people; register another 20,000 disabled people, on top of the 40,000 already recorded, to better provide them with social welfare; add 100 disabled-friendly taxis; install more the 100 disabled access points on the BTS.

WALKING-FRIENDLY CITY

Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Organize vendors and make footpaths clean and clear; create market space above Padungkrungkasem Canal to fix footpath problem at Bobae markets; open Bangkok’s OTOP market to sell all year round.
Pratheep Watcharachokkasem
Redesign footpaths in the city, including creating a Walk of Fame footpath in front of CentralWorld.
Suharit Siamwala
Strictly enforce laws regarding street vendors and motorcyclists who ride on footpaths; fix damaged pavements; improve signage on pavements; rotate cheap shopping streets around the city.
Sophon Pornchokchai
Reorganize BMA's rental agreements with vendors; educate people about footpath usage and fine both vendors and pedestrians who violate the law; build motorcycle taxi parking lots away from footpaths.
Natdanai Phubetatthavich
Allow vendors to sell 24/7.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Build skywalks along Sukhumvit and Phaya Thai roads; strictly specify spaces for vendors; open a direct line for complaints about vendors (1555); create a special panel to deal with issues; increase municipal police presence to correspond with number of vendors.
Sereepisut Temeeyaves
Build air-con sky markets for vendors to leave footpaths for pedestrians.

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?

2. Waranchai Chokchana, 61
A civil servant, he quit his job in 1986 to run for senator. In 1990, he ran for governor for the first time.

3. Mettha Temchamnarn, 64
Ex-actor turned independent politician, army captain Mettha Temchamnarn ran in the general election in 1983, the governor election in 2004 and again in 2008. He wants to surround Bangkok with rice fields where people can harvest and sell their rice to the government. He would make Thonburi a separate province.

4. Dr. Sophon Pornchokchai, 55
He is the President of the Agency for Real Estate Affairs Company Limited (AREA), a consultancy specializing in property valuation services. He is also the President of the Thai Appraisal Foundation, an NGO to develop standards in property valuation.

6. Sanhapot Suksrimuang, 40
Born in Nakohn Si Thammarat, Sanhapot is a businessman at conveyor belt manufacturer V-Belt and formerly an advisor to the Lawyers’ Council of Thailand. As for his campaign poster, it promises to fix Bangkok’s problems—including traffic—in 60 days.

7. Natdanai Phubetarthavich, 56
President of Saksit Alloy, a big manufacturer of fencing, roofing and garden furniture. He promises free education for all by recruiting volunteer teachers. He also wants markets to operate 24/7.

9. Police General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, 57
Graduated top of his class at the Police Cadet Academy. He was chief of the Narcotics Control Board before running for governor as the Pheu Thai Party candidate.

10. Kosit Suvinitjit, tkage
A former CEO of a media company and Spring News channel, and advisor to many ministers. Under the concept “24-hour Bangkok,” Kosit would instantly launch four policies to deal with our problems: more road signs, raising the standards of schools, preparing for AEC, and 24-hour security.

11. Police General Sereepisut Temeeyaves, 64
One-time commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Sereepisut battled communists in Nakhon Panom during the 1970s, forced Chonburi’s recently arrested crime boss into exile, and busted Newin’s Bhumjaithai Party for vote-buying.

13. Wasin Pirom, 32
A professor at the Department of Media Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, he’s credited as director on Thai video game PanPan. His company  publishes e-learning media. He’s also a singer and creates 3D animations.

14. Pratheep Watcharachokkasem, 60
Originally disqualified for allegedly not voting in the 2011 election, the Election Commission then reinstated him when Pratheep provided documents proving his participation. Former member of the Bangkok Council and head of the Klong Toei Association.

15. Chamras Intumas, 57
A member of the Thai Por Pieng Party, which advocates living according to HM the King’s theory of self-sufficiency, he is a lawyer who assists the poor when fighting expropriation from their lands.

16. M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, 60
Bangkok’s last governor, a democrat, was elected in January 2009. He announced his candidacy before getting the party nod, but eventually got Abhisit's blessing. Sukhumbhand is the great-grandson of King
Rama V.

17 Suharit Siamwala, 46
This electronic DJ and wacky fashion icon was formerly the managing director of his family’s stationery and office equipment business, DHA Siamwalla Ltd.

21. Toranee Riteetamrong, 63
Toranee told The Nation: "I had a dream in which King Rama V told me to run in the gubernatorial election. So, I came here." The spouse of a former Thai ambassador, she hosted a TV show decades ago. Her plan is to encourage the rich to donate to the poor and launch local newspapers in every district so that people can voice their opinions.

“Isn’t as fun as we’ve come to expect from a typical Jason Statham movie, and isn’t as classy as we’ve come to expect from an atypical one.” William Bibbiani, CraveOnline

“The performances aren’t to blame here, but unfortunately everything else is: bad story, worse script, and useless subplots make Parker an action ride for which you won’t want a ticket.” Mark Ellis, Schmoes Know

“They make Statham talk too much. And Lopez? Thanks for stripping.” Roger Moore, Movie Nation

“The most distinctive thing about Parker is its title.” Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“A formula action movie that hits its formula marks as if no one expected more. I do expect more. So do Westlake fans. This Parker spits in our collective eye.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“Parker should have stayed parked.” Adam Graham, Detroit News

Our top picks for upcoming indie films here.

Best Motion Picture
ANTAPAL

In telling the story of Bangkok’s notorious 1950s gangster culture, Antapal was always going to have a tough time escaping the shadow cast by 2499 (1998), Nonzee Nimibutr’s celebrated action film. But director Kongkiat Khomsiri’s fresh take on the genre shoots straight in its portrayal of a Thai society struggling to come to grips with rapid progress, meaning Antapal successfully and beautifully side-steps any remake pitfalls to become the must-watch movie of the year.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
PENPAK SIRIKUL (It Gets Better)

We never doubted the acting brilliance of Penpak Sirikul, but faced with the challenge of convincing us she’s a male-to-female transgender in It Gets Better, the silver-screen veteran put in possibly the most convincing performance of her career. Hats off to director Thanwarin Sukhaphisit for a wonderfully believable script, too.  

Best Actor in a Leading Role
KRISSADA SUKOSOL CLAPP (Antapal)

As George, the best mate of legendary gangster Daeng Bireley, Krissada “Noi” Sukosol is superb in what quickly grows to be the lead role in Antapal. With his cool, calm and collected demeanor throughout, Krissada helps to strip away the image of the classic, reckless gangster and is one of the crucial factors behind the runaway success of Kongkiat Khomsiri’s film.         

Best Supporting Actor
DAVID ASSAVANOND (Countdown)

Without a doubt, GTH’s Countdown was one of the biggest surprises of the year. Finally taking a break from the tired teenage rom-coms, the film studio delivered a more-than-solid dark thriller, even if it wasn’t quite the finished article. What really impressed us though was David Assavanond, starring in the role of a mysterious marijuana seller named Jesus. Stealing every scene he appeared in, the Tom Yam Goong star plays the ultimate uninvited guest: you can’t help but love him, even when he's at his most frightening.

Best Supporting Actress
PIYATHIDA “POK” WORAMUSIK (Together)

Piyathida “Pok” Woramusik followed up her stand-out performance in 2011’s Ladda Land with another star-turn in Together. Here, she bravely plays the role of Nuan, the mother of a young daughter who stands by her husband as he grows increasingly erratic after suffering an accident that renders him blind.

Best Newcomer
PREECHAYA “ICE” PONGTHANANIKORN (ATM)

Even though GTH’s rom-com adopts the Korean penchant for overacting, first-timer Ice Preechaya still manages to impress us with her assured character acting—no mean feat.

Best Script
P-047 and 36

It’s hard to split these two arty films, both of which pose more questions than they look to answer. Kongdej Jaturanrasamee’s first indie production, P-047, plays with the concept of personal identity, blurring the line between imagination and reality and leaving it to the audience to figure things out for themselves. Meanwhile, 36, by Third Class Citizens founder Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, interestingly raises the question of whether memory still exists in this era of analogue and digital recordings. Two mind-bending but ultimately rewarding scripts.

Best Director
KONGKIAT KHOMSIRI (Antapal)

The Best Film and Best Director awards don’t always go hand-in-hand, but we simply love Kongkiat’s ability to give a whole new perspective on a story that’s already been told (and told very well, indeed). And unlike many other Thai directors, he doesn’t feel the need to over-moralize, exploring the changing face of the Thai gangster in a rapidly evolving society with a skilled eye. Oh, and the way he intersperses the story with real footage adds a whole new level of signifigance. 

Worst Picture
407

You might think it’s weird that our Best Director, Kongkiat Khomsiri, is also the one who wrote the script for our Worst Film, but, well, have you seen 407? If you have, please accept our utmost commiserations. If not, all you need to know is that it’s about a haunted plane. No, there’s nothing more to the plot. 407 is just like watching a group of people run around acting scared without any real reason. Kongkiat, what were you thinking?

Biggest Letdown
SHAMBHALA

Hi guys, we’re making a film featuring two of Thailand’s biggest film stars, Ananda Everingham and Sunny Suwanmethanon, and we’re going to shoot it amid the stunning glacier-tipped mountains of Tibet. What could possibly go wrong? Let us count the ways: a shallow plot and a director unable to make the tense situation between Wut (Sunny) and Tin (Ananda) in any way plausible, for starters. Unfortunately, what we ended up with was just another TAT-sponsored road movie (for the wrong country) instead of the best Thai film in history.

The ‘Almost There’ Picture
HOME

Directed and written by Chukiat “Madiew” Sakveerakul (Love of Siam), Home boasts a catchy original soundtrack and impressive acting from Penpak Sirikul and Pitch Wiwisit. Yet it still reeks of three short films forced together rather than organically bonded. Sure, each segment provides a heart-warming look at love across three generations, but Chukiat seems to be copying straight from the ‘How to Make The Audience Cry’ guidebook rather than offering up the sincere scenes we were treated to in Love of Siam.

Worst Remake/Adaptation
JAN DARA: THE BEGINNING

Mom Noi strikes again. Last year, the remake of his Rashomon in The Outrage won this gong. Now we would like to bestow the title of Worst Remake/Adaptation on Jan Dara: The Beginning. Proving that bigger is not better, this erotic period piece is heavy on the gratuitous sex scenes and light on plot detail, character development and pretty much everything else that makes a good film. A dishonorable mention must go to young Mario Maurer, who is unable to transcend his innocent looks to inject any sort of real emotion into his portrayal of the pained Jan. The worst thing? There’s a sequel. Read our review of Jan Dara: Epilogue in +film, page 32.

Best Original Soundtrack
PRA YOK BOK LAO (Shambhala)

While Shambhala was a massive disappointment, its original soundtrack from Lek Trakulpadejkrai aka Greasy Café very nearly makes up for it. Here, Lek delivers another of his signature emotional power-ballads. The lyrics of “Pra Yok Bok Lao” cleverly touch on the themes of the film, all atop some soaring guitar and marching drums that trump the film for grandeur—and hint at what might have been.

Best Thai Animation (Ever)
YAK

Six years after Khan Kluay, it seems we’re finally producing full-length animations we can honestly call world class (OK, not consistently, as Echo Planet sadly reminded us). Yak’s production, courtesy of Workpoint Entertainment, is simply masterful, transporting the ancient Ramayana epic to the world of the robots. A great adventure for all.

Most Annoying Repeat Actor
ARAK “PAE” AMORNSUPASIRI

Despite quitting his super stylish Brit-pop band Slur to devote his time to his solo Bob Dylan-inspired project, Arak and the Peesaj Band, Pae still found the time to feature in three major films last year. Please Pae, don’t become the next Ananda.

Best Documentary
THE CHEER AMBASSADORS

Directed by long-term expat Luke Cassady-Dorian, The Cheer Ambassadors is a behind-the-scenes look at the Thai cheerleading team and their struggles to win the World Cheerleading Championship. This documentary impressively delivers and, despite dealing with some tough moments, is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Best Indie Flick
36

By winning the New Currents Award at the 2012 Busan International Film Festival and screening at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s first full-length, 36, has wowed international audiences. And yet the film only got a limited local screening last year. Thankfully, the DVD can be purchased at House RCA and FA Cinematique at BACC. See our interview with the director, this page.  

Most Annoying Repeat Actress
KOH TEE

OK, Koh Tee is technically a “him,” but in most of the films in which he stars –Valentines Sweety, Plon Na Ya, Hor Teaw Tak and Khun Nai Ho—he’s cast in the female role. And we say: enough is enough!

The Eye Candy Award
NICKHUN (7-Something)

The pop sensation stars in the film’s final story, “42.195,” as a mysterious young man who tries to bring a lady he just met (Sukwan Bulakul) back to life through marathon-running. There’s really not much to his performance and we feel a little uncomfortable every time Nichkhun mumbles his words. But we forgive him—it is his first time on screen after all and he looks just as lovely as ever.

Best Feel Good Movie
YAK

Its advanced animation is not the only good thing about Yak. The story, the brainchild of writer, composer, thinker and co-founder of WorkPoint Entertainment, Prapas Cholsaranon, transforms the Ramayana epic into a heartwarming look at the relationship between sworn enemies, Ram and Tosakanth.