In early 2008, Aditya Assarat, film protégé in 2004-2005, experienced what is a thrilling moment for any film-maker: his first commercial release. Wonderful Town, his evocative portrayal of a Thai village struggling to recover from the devastating 2004 tsunami, opened in Paris on 28 April, 2008 to critical acclaim.

"A SINGULAR VOICE IN THE MAKING….

Aditya Assarat’s attention to minute detail and ravaged architecture screams Antonioni… but his ability to switch from dreamy to ugly in a heartbeat suggests a singular voice in the making.”
Time Out New York
April 2, 2008

Since the Paris premiere, the film has been screened in over a dozen theatres throughout France, with subsequent openings in 13 other countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The film, which Assarat made after his year of mentoring under the guidance of the acclaimed director Mira Nair, was funded in part by Rolex. Assarat plans to shoot his second film in Thailand at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009.

©Rolex/Laurent Teisseire, 2008