Patiparn Boontarig
DirectorNapakarn Boontarig
ProducerLogline
After a devastating flood, a man returns to his Mekong riverside village, where the villagers blame a vengeful “River Ghost” for the disaster, but when he encounters the spirit of his lost lover, he learns that the true force haunting the river is something far greater.
Short Synopsis
After a devastating flood, Tee returns to his Mekong riverside village. The villagers believe that the culprit for the flood is a vengeful "River Ghost" who drags people underwater to their deaths. One night, Tee encounters the spirit of his lost lover, who warns him that the villagers are fighting the wrong battle. The true force haunting the river is something far greater.
As Tee unravels the truth, he realizes the "River Ghost" is not vengeful but a Naga, the mythical guardian of the Mekong, struggling against a newly built dam choking the river's life. Tee tries to open the villagers' eyes, but no one listens. As the Mekong is destroyed, the Naga takes its final breath before Tee's eyes.
Blending fiction and documentary, this hybrid film explores the Mekong's ecological crisis, weaving folklore and the Naga myth with the real-life struggles of Tee, an activist fighting to save the river.
Patiparn Boontarig
Itt Patiparn Boontarig, a Thai filmmaker, has worked on numerous short films and documentaries focused on themes of equality and the impact of man-made dams. His first feature film, ‘SOLIDS BY THE SEASHORE (2023)’, won two awards at the Busan International Film Festival: the New Currents Award (Supported by LG OLED) and the NETPAC Award. Additionally, the film won Prix du Jury Award and Coup de Coeur INALCO Award at the 30th Festival International des Cinemas d'Asie de Vesoul. He also served as an assistant director for ‘MANTA RAY (2018)’, which premiered and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.
Napakarn Boontarig
Napakarn Boontarig is a producer at Error Brothers. She collaborated with director Patiparn Boontarig as a production assistant on the feature film Solids by the Seashore (2023) and as a producer on the award-winning short documentary Multiverse of Mekong (2023). In addition to her work in film, she produced a performance art project presented at the Thailand Biennale 2023 and currently serves as a curator with the Chiang Rai–based art community Mitr-Pap. She was born in Chiang Rai province, the same location where "Ghost of the Currents" will be shot. She has a deep connection to the local community and its folklore, having engaged with the villagers throughout her life.