12 films added to Thailand’s National Film Heritage list

BANGKOK — 5 October 2026, Thailand has added 12 films to its National Film Heritage list for 2026, bringing the total number of films registered under the program to 275.

Prasop Riang-ngoen, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Culture, announced the 12 titles selected as National Film Heritage for 2026. The announcement followed a ceremony held at the Thai Film Archive on 4 October, attended by numerous people involved in the film industry as well as members of the public.

Among those attending were comedian and actor Mum Jokmok, actress Woranuch Bhirombhakdi, director and screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, who worked on Midnight My Love (เฉิ่ม…), actress Naowarat Yuktanan from Our Land (แผ่นดินของเรา), and Waywiree Ittianunkul, Rassamee Phaoluangthong and Achara Suwan from By the Time It Gets Dark (ดาวคะนอง).

This year marks the 16th year that the Thai Film Archive, a public organization under the Ministry of Culture, has announced films to be registered as National Film Heritage. The annual event is held on 4 October, Thai Film Conservation Day, and has been organized since 2011 to raise awareness of the importance of preserving Thai cinema.

Some of the films were nominated by more than 1,200 members of the public, who submitted 323 titles for consideration. These nominations were combined with films from the Thai Film Archive’s preservation collection before being reviewed by a 34-member committee representing various professions. The committee considered each film based on its historical significance and influence on society, culture and the arts.

This year’s 12 selections bring the total number of films registered as National Film Heritage to 275.

Among the notable selections is Midnight My Love (2005), a Thai film that reflects Thai society during the 2000s and marked a dramatic change in the acting career of comedian Mum Jokmok, who starred opposite Woranuch.

Our Land (1976) was adapted from a major novel by acclaimed writer Malai Chupinit, whose 120th birth anniversary is being commemorated this year.

The Mysterious Sword (อัศวินดาบกายสิทธิ์) (1970) marked Mitr Chaibancha’s first and only acting performance to reach an international level before his death on 8 October 1970.

Syndromes and a Century (แสงศตวรรษ) (2006) became the first Thai film to enter the main competition of the Venice International Film Festival. The film was subsequently censored in Thailand, sparking wider public debate and a campaign calling for the abolition of film censorship.

Two selections are linked to the 50th anniversary this year of the 6 October 1976 violence. Facts Concerning the Events of 6 October 1976 (ข้อเท็จจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์เมื่อ 6 ตุลาคม 2519) (1976) was produced in the aftermath of the crackdown to present the events from the perspective of state security authorities, while By the Time It Gets Dark (2016), directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong, revisits the events of 6 October through an artistic and cinematic interpretation.

The 12 films and collections selected for 2026 are as follows.

Khon (โขน) is a 35mm black-and-white silent film running 13 minutes, made in 1929 by the Newsreel Division of the Royal State Railway Department. It documents a royal performance of Khon, the traditional Thai masked dance drama, featuring the Ramakien episode “The Battle of Mangornkanth.”

Midnight My Love (เฉิ่ม…) is a 35mm color sound film running 100 minutes. It was released on 12 May 2005.

Our Land (แผ่นดินของเรา) is a 35mm color sound film running 140 minutes and was released on 4 June 1976.

Dr. Boonsong Lekagul’s Film Archive (กรุภาพยนตร์ของหมอบุญส่ง เลขะกุล) is a collection of 16mm black-and-white and color films, both silent and sound, with a combined running time of approximately 22 hours. The films were made between 1947 and 1987 by Boonsong Lekagul, a physician regarded as a pioneer of nature conservation in Thailand. His camera documented his personal life, medical work, advertising, wildlife and the activities of the Niyom Phrai Association, which promoted and pioneered nature conservation in Thailand.

The Mysterious Sword (อัศวินดาบกายสิทธิ์) is a 35mm color sound film. The Mitr–Kwan Ling version runs 90 minutes, while the Mitr–Petchara version runs 71 minutes and is incomplete. The film was released on 4 December 1970.

Journalists and Newspaper Reporters Go to Red China and North Vietnam (นักข่าวนักหนังสือพิมพ์ไปจีนแดงและเวียดนามเหนือ) consists of two versions. The first is a 16mm color film running 15 minutes, made in 1957 by Jane Nimmanan; the second is a 16mm black-and-white film running nine minutes, with its creator not clearly identified.

The Process of Making Heroin (กรรมวิธีทำเฮโรอีน) is an 8mm black-and-white silent film running 19 minutes, made between 1957 and 1962 by an unidentified creator. The film documents the process of heroin production at a source that was a major center of global production during the 1950s.

The Thai Ethnic Groups Film Archive from Encyclopaedia Cinematographica (กรุภาพยนตร์กลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ในไทย จาก Encyclopaedia Cinematographica) consists of 16mm black-and-white and color films, both silent and sound, with a combined running time of 449 minutes. Created in 1964 and 1965 by the Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film (IWF), the collection provides moving-image records for the anthropological study of ethnic communities and is considered one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind.

Facts Concerning the Events of 6 October 1976 (ข้อเท็จจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์เมื่อ 6 ตุลาคม 2519) is a 16mm color sound film running 31 minutes, made in 1976. Its creator is not clearly identified. The film was produced in the aftermath of the 6 October crackdown and presents the events from the perspective of the state security authorities.

WESTWÄRTS…Südostasiatinnen in der BRD, translated as Westward… Southeast Asian Women in West Germany (การเดินทางสู่ตะวันตก… ผู้หญิงจากเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ในเยอรมนีตะวันตก), is a documentary about Southeast Asian women in West Germany, made in 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Syndromes and a Century (แสงศตวรรษ) is a 35mm color sound film running 106 minutes. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2006 and was released in Thailand on 10 April 2008, with black film inserted over scenes that had not passed censorship.

By the Time It Gets Dark (ดาวคะนอง) is a 106-minute color sound film produced in digital format and released on 8 December 2016. Directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong, the film draws on the events of 6 October 1976 and explores their legacy through a layered cinematic and artistic interpretation.

The 2026 selections reflect the wide range of Thailand’s cinematic heritage, from rare footage of royal performances and early documentary films to works addressing social change, censorship, migration, ethnic communities, drug production and the country’s contested political history.