Theater Producer Tan Directs First Feature Film

Renowned theater producer Tan Nattanon Chollampee is stepping into an important new role as director of his first full-length feature film, "The Shaman's Confession," a supernatural psychological thriller adapted from one of the most popular stories from The Ghost Radio. The director has shared details about his hands-on approach to every element of the film to convey the story as authentically as possible.

On directing his first feature, Tan said: "It's been fun. I'm not stressed or exhausted. We're used to it. Sometimes I wear two hats—both producer and director—but directing this film actually helps from a work perspective because I'm constantly solving problems, so it feels natural."

When asked why he chose to adapt The Ghost Radio's "The Shaman's Confession," Tan explained: "Since I made the drama The Sixth Sense fifteen years ago, I've been looking for any film involving ghosts, but not just a straightforward ghost movie. I searched for a long time without success. Then one day I was talking with the team, and they told me about this story from The Ghost Radio. I'd never heard it before, so they told me. Halfway through, I said yes—let's do this. I liked it.

"The core is actually a drama about a broken life, but spirits are involved. It's not a ghost movie in the conventional sense. It's about someone who has to choose to live alongside a spirit. It's the story of a person whose life was destroyed, who was victimized until they descended into the darkness of shamanic sorcery and could never return."

On casting actor Alek Theeradej Medhawarayut as the shaman Toh, Tan said: "I've worked with him since the drama Blood Ties on Channel 3, where we adjusted his look and acting style. He enjoyed that process and we clicked. For this character, I believed the actor had to commit fully—not just to the performance, but to changing his appearance too. I had a vision of what the shaman would look like at the end, how his look would transform when he becomes a full shaman. I explained this to him, and he expressed interest.

"At that point I asked him for three things: first, to lose weight; second, to cut his hair into a skinhead style because his character is a monk in the story; and third, there are nude scenes in the film related to the narrative. He agreed to everything."

On casting actor Chakrit Yamnaam as the shaman Tian, Tan said: "When I decided to make this film, Chakrit was the first person I contacted. Tian had to be Chakrit. We've worked on several dramas together, and I know his potential. He agreed to take the role. He told me his interpretation of what a shaman should look like—not the image people typically hold.

"I should say that The Ghost Radio's stories aren't just ghost tales—listeners are ready to believe these stories actually happened. So I envisioned this shaman as someone living in modern society, an ordinary person in their daily life, not performing or dressing like a stereotypical shaman. I interpreted it as someone who looks normal in society, but because Tian's character is spiritually consumed from within in the film, his appearance becomes worn. That's where his character's visual transformation comes from."

On assembling the cast, Tan noted: "For my first feature, I wanted actors I'd worked with before, people I have rapport with. First and foremost, they had to be skilled. Khun Boum Runya Siyanond is exceptional. Chakrit, Alek, and Khun Am Amrin Nitiphon all worked together on Blood Ties, and I saw their potential. When they perform drama, they perform authentically. But this character has something special—these actors play uniquely. For example, Amrin plays Toh's father like a toxic pesticide. Khun Venn..."