> There are so many movies being produced these days that the premiere
> of most films hardly merits a second look. But in Laos there is cause
> for genuine excitement. Thirty-three years after the communist
> government overthrew the king and seized power, the south-east Asian
> nation has just produced its first privately funded movie, Good
> Morning, Luang Prabang.

> The plot is simple enough; a Thai photographer visiting Laos falls in
> love with his beautiful Laotian tour guide. But much more remarkable
> than the plot-line, is that the communist government, having for years
> seen cinema as nothing more than an opportunity for propaganda, has
> given its support to the movie. As such there are hopes that Good
> Morning, Luang Prabang, which recently premiered at one of the
> country's two cinemas, might be the first of many.

> "We aim at presenting Laotian culture, our beautiful scenery and
> cities," said Anousone Sirisackda, a Lao video producer who was
> involved in making the film with the Thai director, Sakchai Deenan.
> "Although Thailand and Laos have similar cultures, their differences
> are the charms that would draw people to see this movie."

> Under the communist Pathet Lao group, the only movies produced in the
> former French colony were crude propaganda films and a handful of
> patriotic films funded by the government. Now, the authorities believe
> that allowing filming in Laos and helping develop the country's film
> industry could be a vital source of income for the country.

> Not that everything has suddenly become easy. A member of the
> government was on the set every day to ensure that Laotian culture was
> portrayed appropriately and the team behind the movie cut a number of
> scenes they believed might be controversial. They also deliberately
> chose a plot that would not challenge the authorities. "We wanted a
> soft storyline so it would not be too hard to get approval from the
> Lao government," said Sakchai.

> Starring Ananda Everingham, a Laotian-Australian actor, and the
> Laotian actress Khamly Philavong, the movie also represents a means of
> strengthening ties between Laos and Thailand. Relations between the
> Western-backed Thailand and the communist government of Laos have not
> always been easy. The two countries fought border skirmishes in the
> late 1980s.

> And movies have previously not helped matters either. Two years ago,
> the Lao national football team were ridiculed in the Thai comedy Mak
> Teh (Lucky Losers). The film's release was cancelled after Laotian
> diplomats complained that it made fun of the country and its people.
> And last year, the Thai soap opera Mekong Love Song was pulled after
> similar complaints from Lao authorities. Apparently the scene deemed
> the most offensive included a Thai actor dropping Laos's national
> flower, the frangipani, in a river as he pined for his lover.

> Having premiered in Laos's capital Vientiane and shown in Thailand,
> the producers are hoping to organise open-air screenings so that more
> people in Laos – including those in the Unesco World Heritage city,
> Luang Prabang, which gives the film its title – will be able to see
> the movie.
> Link:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/good-morning-luang-praba...