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School Town King follows slum rappers reaching for stardom

The directors are currently pushing to add the film to Netflix

LiFTED | Winston West | 13 Agu 2021


School Town King is a Thai documentary that follows the two rappers from Bangkok's most notorious slums as they try to climb their way out of poverty and into stardom. The film centers around the struggles of Thanayuth “Book” Na Ayutthaya, aka Elevenfinger, and Nontawat “Non” Toma, aka Crazy Kids, and tracks their journeys from live performances and studio sessions to the daily challenges the artists face.

The film was first screened at the Busan International Film Festival which was then followed by a limited theatre release in December 2020 and on-demand streaming via Vimeo. The Duang Prateep Foundation received a portion of the proceeds, but filmmaker Wattanapume Laisuwanchai and his team feel there is more this documentary could achieve.

Earlier this month, the School Town King Facebook page was updated with a post asking followers to help the film’s message reach an audience that may not have had the opportunity to watch it in theaters. The filmmakers hope by reaching a wider audience “through the real-life story of Book and Non, the movie might expand your perspective and lead to social change.”

The expectation of this film creating social change in Thailand might be a stretch, but the story it tells paints the lives of those growing up in Klong Toey in vivid colors to the audience and exposes them to the daily fight these locals face as they try to make it out of the slums.

If you want to help nominate School Town King for Netflix please use this link