With a style that is mercurial, eccentric, and original, Pen-ek is part of a new generation of artists. In the past year Thai filmmakers have launched a salvo of original new movies, among them Nang Nak (Mrs. Nak), a ghost story directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, Satreelex (Iron Ladies), the story of a gay championship volleyball team directed by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, and Bangkok Dangerous, a stylish new-wave gangster flick directed by Oxide Pang and Danny Pang.

Fah Talai Jone, Wisit Sasanatieng's sendup of Thai westerns, won a Dragons and Tigers award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

But it was Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Fun Bar Karaoke that first challenged local viewers used to a steady diet of Western action movies and locally-produced formulaic dramas.

Pen-ek was born in 1962 in Bangkok. He spent nearly a decade in New York studying art history at Pratt Institute and working as a graphic designer for Designframe Incorporated. After his stint in the U.S., he returned to Thailand, where he worked in the advertising industry, first as an art director and later as a director of television commercials, before turning to feature films.

Fun Bar Karaoke examines the undercurrent of magic that runs through the isolation of city life. A young girl fears for her playboy father's safety. A hitman dreams of going to the U.S. A dead mother portends a tragic event. Desperate story elements are woven together in a picture that, despite being set in the banal modern metropolis of Bangkok, is surreal and bursting with energy.

The movie has won foreign accolades as well: it premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 1997 and was shown at a half dozen other festivals, garnering a Special Jury Prize at the Festival des 3s Continents in France.

Pen-ek's latest movie, the whimsically named 6ixtynin9, was screened at the Toronto Film Festival, in September, 2000. Described by some as "Psycho if Marion Crane fought back," it is a fascinating mix of black humor, big city solitude, and bold visuals with a liberal sprinkling of gangsters.

6ixtynin9 has established Pen-ek as a genuinely fresh voice in Thai cinema. Bangkok Dispatch recently spoke with Pen-ek Ratanaruang.

What are your principal inspirations as filmmaker?

I like to tell stories. And it gives me much pleasure when the story I tell affects people. I'm making films because it's convenient for me to tell my stories, since I've been making TV commercials and watching and reading about films for a long time. It's just a means to get my stories out to people. It would have been just as fine if I could write novels or songs or make music or visual arts, but I don't know how to do any of those things.

How did living overseas inform your art as a filmmaker?

Living in New York informed me a lot as far as being culturally aware. Not only about films but everything; music, fashion, architecture, food, etc.

Do you consider your films "art films?"

It's not my job to consider my work to be anything. I make them and I forget about them quickly and I move on.

Do you wish for or expect a large audience?

Yes, I wish my films would attract a larger audience.

How do you feel about the state of Thai cinema today?

Thai cinema today is becoming interesting again. Sadly, not for the Thai audience who always likes anything foreign.

Thai films in Thailand are becoming art films. They're watched by a small group of die-hard fans and cinephiles. But Thai films of this past two years are enjoying success abroad. This year at the Toronto Film Festival, three Thai movies were screened.

Nang Nak, Satreelex, Bangkok Dangerous, and 6ixtynin9 are being sold, commercially, to many countries all around the world. And we're doing all this by ourselves, the filmmakers. Forget about government help!

It's interesting how Fun Bar Karaoke is devoid of the clichés about Thai life that usually appear on screen or on television. How did you approach the story in this respect?

I made Fun Bar Karaoke the way I wanted to see it. The people in the films are written based on people I know in real life. Perhaps that's why it doesn't appear like stuff on TV or in movies. Not a day in my life do things happen like they happen in movies.

You elicit very interesting performances from your actors. It reminded me of something Stanley Kubrick would say to method actors, "that's very real, but not interesting." How do you motivate your actors?

I don't pick actors or actresses based on their ability to perform, but rather on their intelligence and character. We must like and trust each other, as well as our material. Once you have that, you don't have to do much to motivate anyone. Everyone is motivated by their own standard.

Sound design (or sound effects editing) seems very important in Fun Bar Karaoke. Do you attach any special importance to sound?

Sound design is always very important to me. In my opinion, it's more important than visuals. But sound design is the weakest thing in my movies.

What are your goals as a filmmaker?

My goal as a filmmaker is to keep making films.