Kongdej Jaturanrasamee
Biography
Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (born 1972) is a Thai screenwriter, film director, and former musician. His screenplays include The Letter, Tom-Yum-Goong, Noo Hin: The Movie, and Me ... Myself. His films include Sayew and Midnight My Love.
Kongdej graduated from the film department at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. He began his career in the late 1990s directing music videos for the record label RS Promotion. He also wrote screenplays for the company's then-new RS Film, but none were ever produced into films.
In addition, he is also a member of Si Tao Thoe, an alternative rock band that was popular in the mid-90s of the Thai music industry.
Kongdej made his directorial debut with Sayew, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Kiat Songsanant. A comedy about a tomboyish young woman exploring sex and her sexuality, it won an honorable mention Asian Trade Winds Award at the 2003 Seattle International Film Festival.
He had also been approached by producer Duangkamol Limcharoen to write the screenplay for the romantic drama, The Letter, a 2004 Thai remake of a 1997 Korean film. The film was a hit, and with the screenplay, Kongdej became a sought-after scriptwriter. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 Tony Jaa martial arts film, Tom-Yum-Goong.
