DVD - Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan SF026

Masks and outfits made of coconut husks, rice steamers, shredded rags and clanging bells transform participants of Thailand’s PHI TA KHON festival into ghosts, devils, demons, and spirits unleashed for a bacchanal. Outrageous wooden phalluses and plenty of rice whiskey heighten licentious behavior as MO LAM--Thai country groove music--blasts from makeshift bands in the back of pickup trucks…
Described as ‘The Mardi Gras from Hell’ and ‘Thai Halloween" PHI TA KHON is a ghost festival that takes place every year in the Isan province of Northern Thailand. Meaning 'ghosts with human eyes' or ‘ghosts follow people’, Phi Ta Khon features magnificent costumes, ornate masks, decorative phallic icons, strange ceremonies, drinking, dancing, and endless addictive Mo Lam music in higher doses than most souls can process. A mind-blowing and obscure tradition hidden within the Indochine peninsula.

Filmed on location by Robert Millis and Richard Bishop in June 2004, Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan, is shot from the perspective of a participant, ensuring an intense and immersive experience for the viewer.

The DVD includes an 8-page insert with extensive liner notes and full color images and a short bonus film of Thai spirit house details (spirit houses are everywhere in Thailand and are said to be the abodes of departed loved ones, relatives and guardian spirits).

A Film by Robert Millis. Millis is a member of Climax Golden Twins and also created the ‘Harmika Yab Yum: Folk Sounds of Nepal’ CD for Sublime Frequencies in 2005.

Pressing Information

Color/75 minutes/All-region DVD