Pen-ek Ratanaruang reunites with Christopher Doyle for ‘Morte Cucina’
Thai filmmaker Pen-ek Ratanaruang is set to reunite with previous collaborator, cinematographer Christopher Doyle for a new psychological thriller that explores the wild and wonderful realm of Thai cuisine.
Morte Cucina is to be set in Bangkok and follows the story of a young female chef named Sao who encounters a man who sexually abused her in her youth. “Using her talents in the kitchen, Sao sets her plan of revenge in motion — achieving a rather unexpected result,” the official synopsis reads.
The exciting new project is a collaborative effort between Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, marking Pen-ek’s return to filmmaking following his critically acclaimed noir crime thriller, Samui Song, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017.
Morte Cucina also reunites Pen-ek with Doyle, marking their first collaboration in 20 years, following their successful project of 2003, Last Life in the Universe. The film, Thailand’s official submission to the Oscars that year, earned Tadanobu Asano the ‘Best Actor’ award at the Venice Film Festival.
The movie will be produced by Soros Sukhum of 185 Films, Conor Zorn from Little River Entertainment, Manuel Chiche from Joker Films and Alexandra Hoesdorff of Deal Production.
Having secured financing from Film Fund Luxembourg, Morte Cucina is set to begin production in Thailand at the end of 2023.
Pen-ek hopes for a festival premiere and international release in 2024.
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