Aditya Assarat (, born 1972) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer. Biography Early career Aditya Assarat was born in Bangkok. He left Thailand at the age of 15 to be educated in the United States. He studied history at New York University, and it was during that time that he became interested in filmmaking. He went on to earn a master's degree in film production from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 2000. His graduate thesis film, the 15-minute short, Motorcycle was about a father grieving over the loss of his son in a motorcycle wreck. It was screened at dozens of film festivals, including the Chicago International Film Festival, where it won a Gold Hugo award, the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won a Golden Gate Award, Aspen Shortsfest, where it was named best short film, and the Shorts International Film Festival in New York City, where it was also named best short film. It also won the R. D. Pestonji Award at the 2000 Thai Short Film and Video Festival and the Vision of Life Award at the 2000 Bangkok Film Festival. Other short films followed, including 705 Sukumvit 55 in 2002 and Waiting, a 25-minute short made in 2003. Waiting was screened at more than a dozen festivals, including the Thai Short Film and Video Festival, where it won a special merit award, the Barcelona Asian Pacific Short Film Festival, where it won best short, and the Torino Film Festival where it won the Cinemavvenire Award for Best Short Film. In 2002, Aditya directed Pru Raw Velvet: A Concert Documentary, for the Thai rock band Pru, working with a childhood friend, Kamol "Suki" Sukosol Clapp, a member of the band. The 120-minute feature was screened on both Channel V Thailand and MTV Thailand. 3 Friends In 2003, Aditya won the Hubert Bals Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and was invited to take part in the Pusan Promotional Plan. Aditya also participated in the Annenberg Film Fellows Program at the Sundance Institute that same year. During the year, Aditya helped develop an experimental feature film, 3 Friends (Ma-Mee), which had a limited release, including a screenings at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, where it premiered, and the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival. He co-directed the film with Mingmongkol Sonakul and Pumin Chinaradee. It starred actress