The World Film Festival of Bangkok opens a new program this year, From Books to Celluloid, spotlighting films that are inspired by or adapted from novels and poetry.

Dusit Silakong, deputy director of the festival, says literary adaptations are rare in the Thai film industry, where most directors are also screenwriters and only make films of their own works.

“It’s quite common in Western films that are adapted from novels. But in today’s Thai cinema, you hardly see such films," Dusit was quoted as saying in an article in today's Weekend section.

In the past, such classic-age directors as Cherd Songsri and Euthana Mukdasanit routinely adapted films from books. The films shown at the recent Cherd Songsri Retrospective, for example, were all adapted from popular Thai novels.

Euthana Mukdasanit will be honored by the World Festival Festival with a lifetime achievement "Lotus" award. One of his best-known films, 1985's Butterfly and Flowers, adapted from a 1977 novel by the Thai author Nipphan, will be screened at 12:30pm on October 28, followed by talks on his life and work. Butterfly and Flowers, about the friendship of two children from different religious backgrounds in Muslim-majority southern Thailand, was screened at the 1985 Hawaii International Film Festivals - one of the earliest Thai films to gain international exposure.

The author Nipphan (real name Makut Oradee), is also expected to put in a rare public appearance at the festival, in celebration of his books 30th anniversary. The book, my colleagues at The Nation say, has become required reading in Thailand's secondary schools.

A 94-minute series of short films by writer-artist Suchart Sawasdsri will also be presented, providing a glimpse into his creative process of this multi-faceted author and painter. The films will be screened at 12.30pm on October 26.

Joining with ModerNine TV (Channel 9), the festival is also holding a short-film contest, in which entrants are invited to interpret Lok Nai Duangta Kapajao (The World Through My Eyes), a poem by this year’s SeaWrite Award winner, Montri Sriyong, the “Duck Noodle Poet”.

The closing date for submissions is on October 27.

The public is also invited to submit short films for a contest on the theme of “Father”, in commemoration of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday. The winning films will be screened on MCOT 2 (UBC 27) in December.

The 5th World Film Festival of Bangkok runs from October 25 to November 4 at the Esplanade Cineplex on Rachadaphisek Road (MRT: Thailand Cultural Center).