Film Media and Nationalism in Thailand

During periods of official nationalism in Thailand, the Thai media played a significant role in promoting government policy. Once the media was opened up in 1997, the patterns of ownership started to change. The media began to change from a government orientated enterprise towards a market- orientated private enterprise. This book investigates the interaction between media and nationalism in Thailand. It looks at the relationship between media owners and political leaders in general. Although the primary motive of film-making may now be turning a profit, films which aim to promote the nationalism or political agendas still exist. Thai filmmakers are either making the film according to the culture of those classes to strengthen the nationalistic awareness from the audiences, or they are using their medium to persuade the audiences to accept their values. Either way, it can be demonstrated that since the end of the period of official nationalism, nationalism is still promoted through film. This media support of political agendas can be seen as the new style to promote nationalism.