Over the years International School Bangkok has had a number of alumni who have been involved professionally in film, either as actors, writers, producers and/or musical cinematographers. Famous Thai actors like Chayaporn Olivier Poupart (class of 1991), Lydia Deane (class of 2005, known a Dear Visutthithada at ISB, she now has children attending ISB), Aerin Bencharongkul (Kajornboon, class of 2007) and many, many others have been featured in Thai films for decades. In the U.S., ISB alumnus Sebastien Tobler (class of ’99) is a writer, director and filmmaker based in Los Angeles who was featured in a previous ISB Alumni newsletter. In this article we will be highlighting other ISB alumni who have been involved in film in one form or another both internationally and here in Thailand.
Saun Santipreecha (Somsanti [Peace] Nistades): Film Composer
Saun Santipreecha (b. 1989, Thailand) is an award-winning composer working in film, media, and installation art. He graduated from International School Bangkok in 2007 and it was at ISB that he truly began to develop musicianship and his creativity.
His compositional work in film and television—many of which he worked on under the former pseudonym S. Peace Nistades—has been screened in over thirty film festivals worldwide including the Cannes Film Festival as well as at New York, Paris, and LA Fashion Weeks. In addition to his own feature film scores, he has worked in numerous capacities in the music department for a number of composers including John Debney, Danny Elfman, The Newton Brothers, and Abel Korzeniowski including serving as technical score engineer on Justice League(2017), providing additional synth programming on Doctor Sleep (2019), serving as technical score coordinator on Horizon: An American Saga (Chapters 1 and 2) (2024), composing additional music for Five Night’s At Freddy’s (2023), and providing score arranging and synth programming on the first season of Daredevil: Born Again (2025).
He has had two solo exhibitions at Reisig and Taylor Contemporary in Los Angeles, CA (2023, 2024) as well as a solo exhibition in Rome, Italy (2024). In 2024, he was commissioned to create a sound and sculpture installation in the ADN East German guardhouse at the Wende Museum. His work has been in various group exhibitions in South Korea, New York and Los Angeles.
He has been a guest speaker in the Media Arts + Practice, Cinematic Arts program at University of Southern California as well as at the 9th Annual Conference of the Samuel Beckett Society—Beckett and Justice—at California State University, Los Angeles. He has taught a class on interdisciplinary sculpture as well as served as an Industry Mentor at Musicians Institute.
He is based in Los Angeles and continues to work with filmmakers, artists, and musicians on independent and commissioned projects.
James Tang: U.S. Actor
James Tang is an actor, filmmaker and content creator based in Los Angeles who graduated from ISB in 2005. As a TCK (Third Culture Kid) James’ goals are to improve Asian male representation in Hollywood
while telling stories that reflect his upbringing. In his own words,
“I truly believe in the power of representation, and if more people from different cultures are shown on-screen as actual humans and not one-dimensional stereotypes, it will be easier for all of us to treat each other as the human beings we are . As a TCK I didn't fully identify with my parents’ cultures or the culture I grew up in, but rather a third culture that sort of exists in between. In simpler terms, I was born in the US to Chinese-ish parents but grew up mostly in Thailand and attended International School Bangkok.”
James Tang has appeared in such shows as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Puppy Place, NCIS:LA, and Bosch, as-well-as playing the lead in a survival thriller film, To Die Alone. James recently even created his own detective show called “Lies & Lovebots.” He has also been the English dub voice on Korean shows on Netflix like Squid Games season 2 & 3, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and Beyond the Bar, and we look forward to seeing him on an episode of NCIS:Origins. We wish him all the best has he pursues his dreams and goals in Hollywood!
Madi Boll: Filmaker
ISB alumna Madi Boll (Class of 2016) is now a Los Angeles based film director and producer whose work spans narrative films, music videos, and branded content. After graduating from ISB, she went on to study at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and has been part of the production teams on well known projects including Creed III, Marvel’s Ironheart, and Apple TV’s The Morning Show.
Madi’s love of storytelling started early. At 11 years old, she made her first short film about her brother’s autism. The film was later screened at several international student film festivals and showed her how powerful personal stories can be in driving empathy. Experiences like that, paired with the encouragement she received from ISB teachers and classmates, helped convince her that filmmaking was more than a hobby; it could be a real career.
Madi describes her philosophy as “Luck Meets Preparation.” Days on set can run 12–16 hours and are rarely as glamorous as they look from the outside. “You have to love it,” she says. “If you don’t love it, it’s not worth it.” For current ISB students dreaming of creative careers, she hopes her journey serves as a reminder that by always developing your passion, you can be ready for luck to strike and be prepared to dive into exciting projects that come your way.
"Aimm" Sanpetch Kunakorn: Following His Father’s Footsteps
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Aimm Kunakorn is an actor under contract to The One Enterprise since 2024. He is the son of well-known Thai actor Duu Sanya Kunakorn. After graduating from ISB in 2018, Aimm went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, after which he immediately transitioned into the entertainment industry as he set out to follow his father’s footsteps in film.
When Aimm first returned to Thailand in 2021, he signed with Channel 3 to take on the starring role in "Dhevaprom: Jaipisut" before withdrawing from the project and the company for educational reasons. In 2024, he made his acting debut in Gam Wichayanee's music video for "Once I Had You." Since then he has been quite busy being involved in several dramas and series including the current popular "9 Years of You.". Other projects he has been involved in are "Love's Ambition," "A Hundred Memories," "Rabbit on the Moon," and "My Youth".
The Thai/ISB Producers
In May of this year the Thai film entitled “A Useful Ghost (Pee Chai Dai Ka)” became the first Thai film to win the prestigious Grand Prix at Critics’ Week, a section of the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first time that a Thai film has won the prize. This comes some 15 years after a Thai film, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” won the Palme d’Or top prize at Cannes. In October, the film “A Useful Ghost” was also presented with the Best Screenplay award at the Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain.
What makes this film so interesting to ISB and ISB Alumni is that five former ISB students, Cod Satrusayang (class of 20025), Tanat Tananivit (2005), Kip Tiaviwat (2025), Annie Yangeksakul (1996), and Kris Eiamsakulrat (2015) were all involved in creating this film as its producers. We congratulate all of those involved with this project, but send special congratulations to our ISB alumni for their outstanding contributions to this award winning movie.
- Alumni