Film still of Santi Vina © RR
Santi-Vina, the first Thai film at Cannes Classics
For the first time, Cannes Classics celebrates a Thai period film. Santi-Vina (1954) by Thavi Na Bangchang is a gem with Buddhist ambitions shot in colour in rural Thailand. A real rarity.
A karmic triangle binds the three characters in the film: Santi, Vina, and Krai. The disruptive factor is provided by Krai who jeopardises the romance between Santi, a blind boy, and the very pretty girl, Vina. Santi-Vina is the first Thai feature film shot on 35mm in colour with quality sound, as the majority of films from that time are shot on 16mm. It's also the first Thai film to have won numerous awards and international recognition.
Like a treasure hunt, the story of the film's restoration is on a par with its value. Lost for many years, the original copy was found at the British Film Institute in 2014. Until then, there was only a very poor-quality 16mm copy, filed at the Thai Film Archive. The version screened at Cannes Classics is the product of 1,700 hours of restoration work.
A presentation by the Film Archive in Thailand. The original material was considered to be lost, then found at the British Film Institute in 2014, as well as a release print at the China Film Archive and the Gosfilmofond in Russia. The 4K scan and restoration were completed based on image negatives and the original found at the BFI. Restoration carried out at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.
