SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi presided over a spectacular evening in honour of Thai cinema at the JW Marriott Hotel in Santa Monica.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121114/HK12956 )

Organized by the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai Government, the event offered an occasion to celebrate an auspicious year for the Thai Film Industry.

Addressing a gathering of international film executives, Her Royal Highness praised the Thai film industry's achievements and reaffirmed the country's commitment to becoming one of the leading producing centres in South East Asia.

Indeed, Thailand is quickly becoming one of the region's most attractive destinations for foreign productions. A slate of upcoming high profile English language features set in Thailand, such as Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives" starring Ryan Gosling, Jonathan Teplitzky's "The Railway Man" starring Nicole Kidman, and John Erick Dowdle's "The Coup" starring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, confirms a trend which was already very apparent in the latest statistics published by the Thai Film Office, showing an impressive 55% increase in foreign production expenditures over the past twelve months.

Thailand's appeal lies in the unique combination of gorgeous locations, skilled crew with international experience, state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities, world-class hospitality services and cheap production costs.

Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi said during the event, "As part of Thailand's creative economy, our film sector has undergone a thorough process of modernization and professionalization. Through training, technological investments and exposure to foreign productions, the Thai film industry has rapidly gained in experience and know-how, turning our country into one of the most dynamic production platforms in Asia."

The readiness of the Thai film industry was also emphasized by Mr. Phoom Sarapol, Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Thailand, which noted that "boasting over 50,000 full-time professionals in all sectors of production and post-production, and state-of-the-art equipment and services, our industry offers complete solutions for any type of production, at a fraction of the international rates."

Held during the American Film Market 2012, an event attended by more than 8,000 film professionals from around the world, Thai Night ended with delicious Thai food, giving an opportunity to film professionals from around the world to network with Thai filmmakers and forge new ties with the Thai film industry.

SOURCE Department of International Trade Promotion, Thai Ministry of Commerce