I was kind of a scaredy cat. As a child, I was very well-behaved and really obeyed my elders. I still don’t know how to ride a bicycle because my mom was afraid I would get hurt.

I felt like a girl ever since I was little. I liked wearing my mom’s clothes, liked her heels and playing with dolls. I even had a crush on a tomboy in sixth grade. She looked like she could protect me.

Growing up in an all-boys middle school made me realize what I am. Guys would call me e-tud [faggot bitch]. It was OK, though. I still managed to get good grades.

I went to a casting for Exact, a TV production company, and got a part in the lakorn Chai Mai Jing Ying Tae [Fake Man, Real Woman] which aired more than ten years ago.

I felt unhappy with my life. I was an English teacher at the time. I couldn’t do the things that I loved. So I borrowed my uncle’s video camera to shoot a short movie, Wan, and sent it to the Thai Short Film competition in 2001. I knew nothing about movie making but it won an honorable mention and I started making a lot more films both here and abroad.

In international competitions, they won’t care if you’re transgender or not. They only care about the ideas. This is how I want to be judged.

People tend to only look at the surface, in Thailand. It’s why I’m having these problems with Insects in the Backyard. It isn’t accepted here because Thai people are so conformed to what they know and what they’re supposed to see.

I didn’t think the feedback would result in the movie being banned. I thought the ratings system would help ensure it got screened. I mean, I was expecting the 20-years-plus rating.

Thai society has always been censored to the point that everyone is so used to it. Thais have been taught to be within the frame, stay within their cage, ever since they were born.

More people are starting to wonder what it’s like to not stay in the boundaries. To find their way across the border. This is why there’s a conflict between different types of people.

Thai people like to think certain things are completely wrong. That certain types of people are completely wrong, such as gays, transexuals and prostitutes.

I want people to think of these “wrong” people as human beings. If you were one of them, would you not be human?

A penis is only a body part used for urinating and reproducing. It does not come with duties. The owner of that body part has the right to choose what they want to do and don’t want to do.

I think the set duties of men and women largely contribute to a lot of world crises, like war and power struggles, because some people want to maintain their power to control society.

I feel nothing when people call me, “that katoey [transgender] director.” Gender is just a uniform that society tags us with at birth. If had to define myself I would say, I am human.

It’s really not true that Thai society accepts trans men and women. Society categorizes us as a third gender, something on the outside. They can only be comedians or colorful characters in a movie while, in real life, they can’t be a mother or father.

I am living my dream where I can make movies. I can speak what I want to say.

I don’t believe that humans can have only one love for their entire life. Do we live with someone because of responsibility or love? I feel that loving someone for the rest of your life is chaining you to suffering.

My identity won’t change if I do a big studio movie, like Hak Na Sarakham. I will do the movie that both the studio and I want. I won’t take their money and just what do I want, like some directors. That’s disgusting. I can do what I like in my self-funded movies.

Isaan movies are all about poverty or drought but this one is all about love.

Every movie has the right to be shown, even porn movies. We have to make a place for them. Movies are like people. You need to get close to really know them. Don’t expect them to be just there to entertain you.

Censorship laws are made by ignorant people who don’t know movies. Thai movies won’t go anywhere if the people in charge are all products of a Thai education system that hasn’t taught them how to think and how to critique what they’re told.

I am still optimistic that Insects in the Backyard will have its day to shine and will eventually be shown.

BK: Why is your band named Sensitive Area?
Nu: We like how it sounds and didn’t really think of what the words translated to. What we are trying to illustrate is that there is a feeling in a certain part of ourselves—and that’s the most important thing. When we’re working with music, it is that sincerity that we want to convey, whether it is hurt or happiness. It’s that force that makes us play.
Nay: Each of us transfers that feeling through different means. Nu will let it out through his voice, Op and I through our fingers because we are the guitar people. Non, being the drummer, has this power source and expresses it through his muscles and veins. When we put that together, we form a band.

BK: So you weren’t thinking about a certain body part at all when this came up?
Nay: Oh no, not at all! We didn’t even know at first that it would translate to that!

BK: How would you describe your music?
Nay: We try to make it modern rock. We already have a foundation of being a rock band but individually, we like different types of rock. Nu likes new age American rock, but I’m the total opposite of him, and I like hard rock from the seventies. Non and Op tip towards the metal side, whereas Non likes heavy drum beats, and Op likes intense sounds.

BK: Do you have any problems since you all have different music tastes?
Nay: Lots!
Nu: When we first formed the band, we had a lot of disagreement about our directions and music. We did fight and needed time to tune into each other.

BK: There are so many bands out there today. How does your music stand out?
Nay: We try to be our own version of rock where the melody is powerful but the lyrics can be accessible for anyone. Even if you are a person who doesn’t listen to rock, we want our music to be something you can access.

BK: What are your future plans and dreams for the band?
Nu: We’re all giving it our all now. I think if we put in our best today, whatever the end turns out to be won’t matter as much because we’ve already done our best. We’re happy with what we’re doing now. Parisa Pichitmarn

1.  Dry clean your jeans for the first few months, to lock in the pigment.
2. Or soak your jeans in saline water for one night before the first wash.
3.  To prevent premature fading, don’t wash your jeans too often.
4.  Turn jeans inside out beforehand, both for hand wash and machine wash. Use cold water.
5.  Keep your jeans away from direct sun by drying them indoors and, if you need to iron them, do with warm temperature.

“A run-of-the-mill chiller that spends an inordinate amount of time flirting with unconventional scare tactics before sacrificing all of its ingenuity to become the latest in a long line of The Exorcist clones." Sean O’Connell, Washington Post

“The question this exorcism potboiler really raises isn’t what’s possessing the supposed victims, but what possessed a great actor like Anthony Hopkins to accept a role in such schlock.” Frank Swietek, One Guy’s Opinion

“Dave Whitehead’s sound design fills the production with ominous whooshings that sometimes overwhelm the dialogue, not that the dialogue doesn’t deserve it.” Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“As Hopkins himself goes wild-eyed and FX-ed with popping veins, The Rite gives up on asking us to take it seriously.” Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

“The Rite commits the supreme sin of making the devil dull.” Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

“Kudos to The Rite for thinking outside the usual goat/pentagram/black-candles box for its satanic imagery, but is a mule really the best it could manage?” Keith Phipps, The Onion A.V. Club

BANGKOK

Army United

Formed: circa 1964 (Renamed Army United in 2011)
Stadium: Army Stadium, Din Daeng, 02-271-2062.
Nickname: Green Army / Soldiers
Best Player: Tatree Singha
Website: www.rtafan.com
Main Sponsor: Acer
Army finished at the bottom in 2010, a full ten points from safety, but find themselves still in the TPL after sailing through the play-offs. There’s no reason to suspect they’ll do much better this season. Finishing in 15th place (one spot above the relegation zone) will be an achievement.

BEC Tero Sasana F.C.

Formed: 1992
Stadium: Thephasadin Stadium, Pathumwan, 02-262-3800.
Nickname: Fire Dragons
Best Player: Teerathep Winothai
Website: www.becterosasana.in.th
Main Sponsor: 3K Battery
Tero have signed a dozen players during the close-season as they try to assemble a squad capable of putting the club back among the big boys. The four-time champions have faded in recent years but should be able to improve on their ninth-place finish of 2010. Losing top scorer Anon Sangsanoi to Muang Thong is a big blow, though.

Thai Port F.C.

Formed: 1967 as Port Authority of Thailand F.C. (Renamed Thai Port in 2009)
Stadium: PAT Stadium, Khlong Toey, 02-671-9250.
Nickname: Port Lions / Khlong Toey Army
Best Player: Jirawat Makarom
Website: www.thaiportfc.com
Main Sponsor: FB Battery
There’s never a dull moment at Thai Port. The 2009 FA Cup and 2010 League Cup winners have been plagued by crowd trouble and distracted by a financial dispute between the club and the Port Authority. They finished fourth in 2010 largely thanks to Sarayoot Chaikamdee’s goals. But ‘Jo Five Yards’ has moved on to Bangkok Glass, and TP have lost several other key players. With their vociferous support, the orange and blues can beat anyone on their day—but they may have to settle for a lower league position in 2011.

Pathum Thani

Bangkok Glass

Formed: 2006 (bought out Krung Thai Bank F.C in 2009 to get a place in the TPL)
Stadium: Leo Stadium, Pathum Thani, 02-834-7000.
Nickname: The Glass Rabbits
Best Player: Kunihiko Takisawa
Website: www.bangkokglassfc.com
Main Sponsor: Leo
BG will look to improve on their fifth-place finish in 2010. They were the ante-post title favorites of many last year but they never came close to troubling Muang Thong. The close-season capture of Thai Port’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee will give them more potency up front and they should do better in 2011.

Insee Police United

Formed: 1960 as Royal Thai Police. (Renamed Insee Police United in 2010)
Stadium: Thammasat Stadium, Rangsit, Pathum Thani, 02-564-4425.
Nickname: The Policemen
Best Player: John Wilkinson
Website: www.pufc.co.th
Main Sponsor: Insee
The Policemen finished eleventh in 2010, seven points above the relegation zone. A host of close-season signings suggest that they are setting their sights higher in 2011. Hugely experienced and free-scoring midfielder John Wilkinson—a Singaporean international player with 30 caps—was a surprising yet inspired acquisition.

Nonthaburi

Muang Thong United

Formed: 1989
Stadium: Yamaha Stadium, Nonthaburi, 02-508-8100 ext. 8810.
Nickname: Twin Qilins
Best player: Kawin Thamsatchanan
Website: www.mtutd.tv
Main Sponsor: Yamaha
The 2009 and 2010 TPL champions are still the team to catch, but the Thai football world was rocked by the shock sacking of head coach Rene Desaeyere in early January. Clearly, it can’t be for what happened on the pitch and rumors suggest it was for behind-the-scenes disagreements over transfer policy. Whatever the reason, he’s gone, making retaining the title a stiffer challenge in 2011. The capture of the prolific Anon Sangsanoi is an important signing. If he can continue his scoring feats then MTU could be celebrating a third straight championship.

TOT-CAT F.C.

Formed: 1957 as Telephone Organisation of Thailand F.C (Renamed TOT-CAT in 2010)
Stadium: Chaeng Wattana Stadium, Lak Si, Bangkok / Yamaha Stadium, Nonthaburi), 02-580-6026.
Nickname: The Phoenixes
Best Player: Tomas Kozar
Website: www.tot-catfc.com
Main Sponsor: TOT-CAT
TOT is a club which seems to defy the laws of gravity in the TPL but can expect to seriously struggle this season. A messy legal wrangle between TOT Telecommunications and CAT Telecom—which saw TOT given full control over the football club—was only sorted out in late January. They’ve lost their president and some of their best players; they’ve signed no one and still don’t know where they’re going to be playing in 2011. Definite relegation candidates.
For analysis of the chances of all the TPL teams, don’t miss our new football blog at www.bkmagazine.com.