Once wildly popular, Thailand’s standalone cinemas have been replaced by the shopping-mall multiplex. For ten years, Philip Jablon travelled across the country recording the relics, ruins and romance of this lost cinematic culture. With an introduction by Kong Rithdee and featuring over 50 of the most compelling standalones together with vintage photographs and an exceptional selection of hand-painted movie posters, Thailand’s Movie Theatres captures an irreplaceable slice of social, cultural and movie history.

“Philip Jablon has done miracles here. The temples of lights, the ships of dreams, are revived. We have forgotten the beautiful rituals involving cinema, all the ingredients that made every film special. This book is an emotional journey to keep.” ~ Apichatpong Weerasethakul, filmmaker (Palme d’Or winner for Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives)

“Philip Jablon’s definitive look back at the Thai movie palaces of the past is a masterful work of cultural archaeology – a testament to the rapidly changing evolution of visual story-telling.” ~ Newton Thomas Sigel, American Society of Cinematographers (ASC)