REEL LIFE Brings 50 Aspiring Thai Creatives Together for Intensive Netflix Film Camp

The enthusiasm was palpable last weekend when aspiring Thai creatives gathered in Bangkok to take part in a two-day intensive film camp led by Netflix staff and professional mentors from across the industry. 

Twelve of the participants from this camp will go on to on-the-job training with Netflix production partners. Supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the camp attracted talent from around Thailand, including those based outside metropolitan areas. Participants traveled from as far as Pattani, in Thailand’s far south, to take part.

On the first day of REEL LIFE camp, filmmakers had a chance to learn more about roles in the entertainment industry, from production to post-production and production finance. This was followed by a riveting panel discussion with Netflix staff about their own paths in the entertainment industry and their career growth.

On the second day, participants took part in master classes led by Netflix staff and external production partners. They were able to dive deep into the skills needed for different industry roles, including assistant accountant, assistant script supervisor, office production assistant, post production assistant and set production assistant. 

“What excited me about the REEL LIFE camp was that the emerging filmmakers had done their homework about the industry, and they were keen to connect with and learn from our experienced trainers and mentors,” said Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, Director of Content for Thailand. “This is a great opportunity to work with our partners in Thailand, and help build on-the-job experience for our emerging filmmakers,” he said.

Altogether, four Netflix staff members shared their expertise with participants over the two days. 

“I’ve worked on sets before but I wanted to understand the Netflix way of working. I want to be an assistant director. From this experience, I was able to better understand Netflix’s very professional way of working,” said Jirat Koesrestaruch, one of the participants. 

The Netflix Fund for Creative Equity was established in 2021 to invest $100 million over five years to create more pathways for talent from under-represented communities across the world. Over the past two years, Netflix has invested $29 million in more than 35 countries across 100 different programs, including in Asia-Pacific.