Chula and NRCT Collaborate on Research-Based Film Promoting Peace in Thailand’s Deep South 

To celebrate its 60^th anniversary, Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Communication Arts, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), launched “Our Stories,” a cinematic product of the collaborative research in accordance with the strategy to create a peaceful society through innovation. The film depicts tales of conflict along the Southern border of Thailand in a self-transcendental narrative, presenting stories of the locals in areas overshadowed by conflict, and serves as a tool to promote peace with knowledge and social innovation.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Preeda Akkrajantachote, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, the faculty has received research funding from the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under the research strategy of violence-free Thai society to carry out a research project that creates knowledge and offers perspectives to help increase understanding of conflict and violence in the southern border provinces. The research findings are then transformed into a social media innovation in the form of a movie that narrates stories of conflict from the perspective of people in the southern border areas. It reflects other problems in the area that have been overshadowed by the ongoing violent incidents, such as families losing loved ones, children’s education, and livelihood difficulties. The movie titled “Our Stories” is available for viewing online and can also be used as a medium in the process of transforming toward peace in the southern border provinces, as well as a beneficial tool in communication studies. 

 “‘Our Stories’ represents new knowledge that supports social change and the development of Thai society. It serves as tangible evidence of the power of academic work translated into film, which is capable of driving real social transformation. As a media innovation, it can inspire audiences to view conflict with impartiality, encouraging society to collectively push for the transformation of conflict into peace,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Preeda. 

Dr. Wiparat De-Ong, Director of the NRCT, remarked that the NRCT supports research projects aligned with the National SRI (Science, Research, and Innovation) plan under the strategy of “A Violence-Free Thai Society,” which is one of the key goals of the NRCT’s long-standing support for social research. The film ‘Our Stories’ is a product of the research project titled “Transforming Conflict and Violence in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces into Peace through a Self-Transcendental Narrative Paradigm via Short Film.” It stands as a form of social innovation that connects people’s knowledge and understanding by conveying the experiences and emotions of those living in the area through accessible and powerful creative media. The goal is to drive positive social change. It is hoped that the outcome of this research will serve as a vital catalyst for advancing the sustainable development of Thai society. 

Asst. Prof. Dr. Teerada Chongkolrattanaporn, head of the research project, added that the research project titled “Transforming Conflict and Violence in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces into Peace through a Self-Transcendental Narrative Paradigm via Short Film,” which gave rise to the film “Our Stories,” primarily deals with the concept of self-transcendental narrative. The technique is used to demonstrate the conflict along the southern border, with an emphasis on creating understanding and empathy on the basis of humanity. The research team conducted fieldwork to discover perspectives, thoughts, and beliefs of local people regarding violence in the area by having them narrate stories of conflict and violence through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and projective techniques. The research findings were then synthesized into core narratives that tell stories of violence in a self-transcendent way, allowing each person to recount events from their experiences and then conveying them to others to see events from the perspectives of various people connected to those incidents. These were creatively developed into an omnibus film script that combines different short stories within the same narrative. 

“The film aims to inspire peace-building in a way that abandons the identity of all parties and collectively works toward the same goal: peace. The research team has created a film that serves as a tool to create social ripples, inviting viewers to see problems as participants who are ready to listen, resolve issues, and fully collaborate in building peace,” remarked Asst. Prof. Dr. Teerada. 

The film “Our Stories” can be viewed at  https://youtu.be/iZEKeBYmGXU?si=ZCtAM1KFMJZcLlA4  
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