Warat Bureephakdee (b. 2003)
Birthplace:
Bangkok, Thailand
Born:
November 15, 2003
Warat Bureephakdee is a 20-year-old filmmaker and moving image creator from Bangkok. He embarked on this journey in 2020 while still a student at Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School 2. Later, he pursued studies in film at the School of Digital Media & Cinematic Arts, Bangkok University. Warat is known in the short film community for his works such as "We live in a beautiful world" and "Secret among Wings," featured at the Wildtype Festival 2022. Another version of "We live in a beautiful world," titled "VVii live in a beautiful world," received a special White Elephant award at the 26th Thai Short Film & Video Festival in 2022. In early 2023, he collaborated with Tanapong Thepparak, a filmmaker and cinematographer from Chiang Mai and Lamphun, on documentaries like "Lottery Land" and "Aimagination." Both films competed in the Experimental Short Film Competition category at the 6th PRISM UBD Short Film Festival in Brunei, with "Aimagination" winning first prize. Initially focused on creating short fiction films since 2020, Warat developed an interest in documentary filmmaking in early 2023, particularly focusing on documentaries with Bangkok as the central character. He believes that documentaries can provide alternative perspectives that cannot be present in fictional stories. After creating documentaries about Bangkok, Warat expanded his works to cover various topics and areas. In June 2023, he joined the workshop "Through the Lens of Climate" organized by Chiang Rai Film Club. Warat and other team members created the documentary "Super Mom," addressing forest fire issues and the heroes who fight them in northern Thailand. The film screened at the Open World Cinema in the Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai 2023, and the Golden North Film Festival 2024: Rising Multiculture from Local to Global. Subsequently, he had two documentary works airing on Thairath Online in October. One, titled "สุราธิปไตย Drunkmocracy," focuses on craft beer and progressive laws regarding alcohol, with Warat serving as director, editor, and producer. The other, "โอ้ แม่คณิกา," is about sex workers, where Warat is the first assistant director. Beyond being a creator, Warat has been involved in various aspects of filmmaking, including acting as the lead in the feature film "Today, Everyday" by his university peer, Koraphat Cheeradit. Previously, Warat and Koraphat worked on the short film "Yesterday is Another Day," where he contributed as a co-scriptwriter, assistant director, and producer. The film screened at the Wildtype Festival 2023 and won Best Short Film (Student Category) at the Chiang Mai Film Festival 2023. In October, Warat initiated the "JuBchaii" screening program, showcasing short films inspired by his experience working with the Wildtype team in 2023. This program has run five times so far. In 2024, Warat kicked off the year with a moving image/home movie project on Super 8mm film titled "Soon to be Forgotten," in support of the Thai Film Archive & Rolling Wild. He collaborated with other contributors, and the work was featured at the Bangkok 242: A Space for Sharing event at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center from January to May. Additionally, he served as an assistant director and co-producer in the film "Don't Let Me Go" by Weerapat Sakolvaree, a fellow filmmaker from another university.