25th New York Asian Film Festival

July 10-26, 2026

North American Premiere

Tha Rae The Exorcist

ท่าแร่

In Tha Rae, Thailand’s oldest and largest Catholic community, an old demon has unfinished business. The first sign is Grandpa Ming. A former priest, the old man begins to transform in ways no one can explain or ignore, as if the evil defeated forty years earlier had found its way back through him. The village turns to Sopha, a local spirit healer versed in Isan folk ritual; the Church sends Father Paolo (James Jirayu Tangsrisuk), a young priest facing the exorcism of his life. Then Ming’s daughter Malee comes home and becomes the demon’s next prey. Catholic rite and Isan folk ritual answer the same terror from opposite sides. With this forced alliance at its center, Taweewat Wantha, director of the Death Whisperer films, gives Thai possession horror dark roots in the haunted ground of Tha Rae itself.

Director: Taweewat Wantha
Producers: Somsak Techarattanaprasert, Tuenjai Techarattanaprasert, Jatusom Techarattanaprasert, Kanchanapan Meesuwan
Screenwriters: Taweewat Wantha, Worawit Chaiwongkot, Polsan Busabarti
Cast: James Jirayu Tangsrisuk, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Nichaphat Chatchaipholrat (Pearwah), Phiravich Attachitsataporn, Sawanee Navinthananchai, Ong-art Jeamcharoenpornkul
Languages: Thai with English Subtitles
2025; 119 min.; DCP
Country: Thailand

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday July 14, 6:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center

Intro and Q&A with actor James Jirayu Tangsrisuk

James Jirayu Tangsrisuk
จิรายุ ตั้งศรีสุข

James Jirayu Tangsrisuk, born in 1993 in Phichit, Thailand, was discovered through social media and rose to national fame with his breakthrough role in the television series Khun Chai Puttipat (2013). He has since led some of Thai television's highest-rated dramas, including Padiwaradda, Krong Kam, and Matalada, and appeared in the features Timeline and Ayothaya Maha Laluay. Also an accomplished singer and one of Thailand's most sought-after brand ambassadors, he stars in the horror feature Tha Rae: The Exorcist.