Suthep Kritsanavarin

SUTHEP KRITSANAVARIN is one of Thailand’s leading photojournalists and filmmaker; he chronicled environmental, social, and humanitarian issues in Southeast Asia for nearly two decades.  His award-winning photo essays have been published in: 

•	The New York Times
•	International Herald Tribune
•	The Far Eastern Economic Review
•	Time
•	Geographical
•	Aera
•	Days Japan 
•	Geo.  
He has also exhibited his documentary photography in Germany, France, China, Japan, Thailand, and Cambodia including; Siphadon Mekong Fishing Under Threat, Kuay and Elephants: Struggling for Survival, Life in Xinjiang, China and Hunters and Monk in Thailand.

Suthep’s work is based on his firm belief that a filmmaker must act as a conscientious observer of society and culture. He or she has to contribute to social change on a local and global level.  He or she achieves these goals by working on a project over long durations to build deep understanding on the topic and to establish trust among the communities where he works. Suthep’s powerful images create in-depth documentary essays shot over protracted periods of time on his own initiative and funding. For the Khone Falls: Soul of the Mekong exhibition, Suthep has focused on endangered species like the Giant Mekong Catfish thrashing their way upstream and downstream of the Mekong River, while telling stories of the people who risk their lives in a daily struggle to net their catch.  For this project, he traveled throughout Southern China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the countries that the Mekong River flows through, for over three years.  By using his direct experience from the journey and research papers published on the subject, Suthep has documented the threats hydropower and mega-structure 
projects pose to traditional fishing communities and the ecosystem.