Chiang Mai is slated to become the entertainment capital of Thailand, and possibly Southeast Asia following a landmark film partnership memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Hylife Group and the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
Northern Thailand has always been a popular destination for Thai and International filmmakers thanks to its diverse setting, natural surroundings and cheap rates. We covered Chiang Mai on the silver screen in a recent top 12 film list, and that’s just the movies that directly reference the city in their script. Other films like Rambo, American Gangster, Twilight over Burma and Into the Sun were also filmed in our northern province with their stories set elsewhere.
So, in a bid to decentralise big industry and capitalise on the popularity of Chiang Mai among filmmakers, Hylife Group – Chiang Mai’s leading conglomerate in real estate, asset management and manufacturing – has struck a deal with Korea’s BIFF, signing an MOU to join forces as key industry partners to position Chiang Mai as a premier entertainment hub in Asia.
Other signatories included K Wave Media, Solaire Partners and Lewis Pictures – three more big industry players that will help solidify this powerful alliance and advance the regional film industry.
Under the broader citywide ‘Creative Chiang Mai’ campaign, this historic agreement aims to attract more international film investment, develop training platforms for local professionals and drive job creation.
The first step is to create an annual film festival, starting with the Chiang Mai International Film Festival slated for 2026. If the deal follows through, we’ll bring you more information and all the lowdown on the festival as and when we can.