as the downside of prostitution (Hotel Angel, 1974), teenage sex and delinquency (Daughter and Daughter 2), protecting the environment (The Elephant Keeper, 1987), or the evils of the drug trade (Powder Road, 1991). His films resist depicting any glamor, focusing on the poor, downtrodden working classes, such as Freedom of Taxi Driver (1984) or Song for Chao Phya and often with gritty action, such as Gunman (1983), Salween (1993), and The Colonel (1974). Three of his films from this period were submitted by Thailand for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: The Elephant Keeper, Song for Chao Phya and Daughter 2. Royal epics Around 1999, Chatrichalerm embarked on the most ambitious film project of his career, The Legend of Suriyothai, a lavish production about a 16th-century Siamese queen, Suriyothai. For his production, he received the backing of Queen Sirikit and the royal family. The film was at first conceived as being eight hours long. By the time it premiered in Thai cinemas, it was nearly three hours long. An even-more-condensed version was released in the United States in 2003, edited and "presented by" Francis Ford Coppola, a former classmate of Chatrichalerm's from UCLA. After Suriyothai, Chatrichalerm started work on an even bigger project, King Naresuan, about the 16th century Siamese monarch, Naresuan. More epic in scope than Suriyothai, Naresuan was initially released in two parts in early 2007. Under the title King of Fire, the second part of the series was submitted by Thailand for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. As of late 2007, a third part is scheduled to start production in early 2008. Awards 2001 - Thailand National Artist Award for Performing Art (Movie and Drama) 2004 - Lotus Award for Lifetime Achievement, World Film Festival of Bangkok 2006 - Suphannahong National Film Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (not present for ceremony; award accepted by frequent collaborator, actor Sorapong Chatree). Filmography Out of the Darkness (Mun Ma Kub Kwam Mued) (1971) Dr. Karn (Khao Chue Karn) (1973) The Colonel (Pom Mai Yak Pen Pan To) (1974) Hotel Angel (Thep Thida Rong Raem) (1974) Last Love (Kuam Rak Krang Suthai) (1975) The Violent Breed (Thewada Doen Din) Dangerous Modelling (1975) Angel Who Walks on the Ground (1976) Taxi Driver (Citizen I) (1977) Kama (1978) The Yellowing of the Sky (Before the Storm) (1980) If You Still Love (1982) Gunman (Meu peun) (1983) Detective, Section 123