Despair Over Move To Stop Film About Thailand's Deep South Being Screened

[webfact]

Despair over move to stop film about the South being screened
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The fact that a film about the deep South will most likely not be screened in Thailand has sparked speculation about the real reasons and many in the film industry agree that this is yet another setback for a society already plagued with censorship.

"This is a society that just doesn't want to debate. Something is missing in our [social] structure," film critic and blogger Wiwat "Film Sick" Lertwiwatwongsa said.

Yuthlert Sippapak, director of "Pitupoom" ("Fatherland"), said on his Facebook page yesterday that the film, starring famous actors such as Ananda Everingham, Sukolwat Kanaret and Davika Hoorne, was most likely to not be shown in Thailand despite initially being scheduled for release in December.

"It's certain now that Thais will not be able to watch this film. Thank you," Yuthlert wrote on his Facebook timeline, but did not elaborate and was not available to provide details as of press time. The film sees problems in the deep South primarily through the eyes of two police officers and a female Muslim scholar.

Wiwat admitted the film may be politically sensitive and that could be why the financier chose not to screen it. "Maybe they just want to 'play safe' by not screening it," he said, adding that he had heard some movie theatres were reportedly reluctant as well.

"In the end it has crippled [society], because now everyone engages in self-censorship, which is an indicator that we are not free. This a problem that is very difficult to solve."

Kriengsak Silakong, director of the World Film Festival of Bangkok, said the public should try to fight this sort of self-censorship.

"Everybody should try to fight this. Nobody should retreat [into accepting self-censorship]. If we don't do it now we will suffer this 'disease' for another decade and be fickle on making decisions on this or that [supposedly sensitive] issue. This is the Thai society's weakness. Parents often block their children from doing many things," he said, adding that things in Thailand were similar to the situation in Iran.

Kriengsak said the financier was probably "totally surprised or shocked" by the end result of the film and decided to stop it being screened.

Manit Sriwanichpoom, an independent film-maker and co-director of the film "Shakespeare Must Die", which was also banned, speculated that the film's financier and producer might be under political pressure, adding that this was "bizarre" as so much money and time had gone into making the film.

"Or is it that [the government] does not want the film to be shown now as they are engaged in peace talks [with separatists] and do not want criticism on whether the talks are genuine or not? Did someone [in the government] ask for it to not be released?"

However, no matter what the truth is, Manit also agreed it did not bode well for Thailand.

"In a society which is not truly free, people's freedom gets curtailed," he said, adding that this was the worst thing that could happen to any film director.


-- The Nation 2013-04-30

[rkidlad]

I heard from a Thai official that Thais like funny movies.

These kind of movies might make people think and feel sad.

[RickBradford]

There's a 4-minute trailer here.

It looks like a pretty powerful and even shocking film.

I can understand that the Thai authorities would much rather the people keep watching sappy dramas, Thailand's Got Meager Talent and comedy 'boing' shows than something which attempts to portray uncomfortable reality.

[LuckyLew]

Banning films is true democracy in action

More like police state .... "the people will only watch what we tell them they can watch"

[PoodMaiDai]

Banning films is true democracy in action

More like police state .... "the people will only watch what we tell them they can watch"

Thais prefer to live in la-la land. The truth and Thailand doesn't mix well.

Something is missing in our [social] structure

Naaaaaa. Nothing wrong at all.

[tominbkk]

I heard from a Thai official that Thais like funny movies.

These kind of movies might make people think and feel sad.

This movie did not have enough 'boooiiinnngggs' in it to make people turn their head around.

[tominbkk]

Judging from the trailer I'm not sure if there is much of a story.

[bigbamboo]

So much for Thailand being a film hub then.

[apetley]

I heard from a Thai official that Thais like funny movies.

These kind of movies might make people think and feel sad.

Nothing a well timed 'boing' can't put right.

[noitom]

Judging from the trailer I'm not sure if there is much of a story.

The imagery was very poor as far as whetting your appetite for a solid story.

[chainarong]

The only thing I despair about is Thailand , the signals it is giving out are not good, in this case, far to much control is given to so few, it's not as though no one knows whats happening down South , we see it on the news every day, the same guy measuring up, like it's a motor vehicle accident.

[seminomadic]

What I like is how at 1:02 the Muslim woman has her head covered and she's wearing a skirt (maybe shorts) clearly above the knee.

Yeah, I see that ALL the time. Great work on the verisimilitude there. I'm sure it's a sensitive depiction of Thai Muslim culture.

That said, ever since Apichatpong movies saw limited distribution at the whim of those useless dopes at the ministry of culture, be assured there is no hope for a respectable film culture in Thailand as long as the ministry of culture is allowed to exist.

Edited April 30, 2013 by seminomadic

[Nisa]

Censorship? Sound like the guy wants to force somebody to cover the costs of distributions and force theaters to show a movie they may not want to. Has the movie even gone before the official review board for a rating and where it actually could be censored?

[animatic]

Thais can't settle their greatest problems because

the political class refuses to look at them as they really are,

which includes preventing the common man from looking at them in any clear way.

[jackspratt]

What I like is how at 1:02 the Muslim woman has her head covered and she's wearing a skirt (maybe shorts) clearly above the knee.

In the version I watched, those "shorts" go all the way down to her ankles.

[simple1]

The only thing I despair about is Thailand , the signals it is giving out are not good, in this case, far to much control is given to so few, it's not as though no one knows whats happening down South , we see it on the news every day, the same guy measuring up, like it's a motor vehicle accident.

The OP says "politically sensitive". Maybe the film does not adhere to the Thai government propaganda storyline

[terryp]

there is no democracy in Thailand; everyone is TOLD what to
think and do ......dont stand in the cinema and see what happens

reson for edit ..cinama

Edited April 30, 2013 by terryp

[RickBradford]

Censorship? Sound like the guy wants to force somebody to cover the costs of distributions and force theaters to show a movie they may not want to. Has the movie even gone before the official review board for a rating and where it actually could be censored?

Yes, it has an 18+ rating.

[Nisa]

Censorship? Sound like the guy wants to force somebody to cover the costs of distributions and force theaters to show a movie they may not want to. Has the movie even gone before the official review board for a rating and where it actually could be censored?

Yes, it has an 18+ rating.

Thanks. So this means they approved it for anyone 16 years old and up and it didn't receive a higher rating let alone a ban or "P" for films not recommended to be promoted. So, it really does seem like he simply made a move people don't believe will generate revenue and are not willing to invest in distributing and showing it. In this case doesn't sound like a censorship issue as films being made and not getting distributed is very common even in Hollywood... especially when it comes to documentary / educational stuff. But it does sound like the guy is pretty smart in the way he is going about trying to get people interested and great timing with the censorship claims with tge recent banning and then banning reversal for another movie in Thailand.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Nisa

[RickBradford]

I don't know enough about the ins and outs of how decisions are made as to whether a film is shown in Thailand, and who to. But an educated guess would suggest that there are several different organisations involved, with complementary, but overlapping responsibilities.

There is perhaps a Ratings Board which judges a film on the language, violence and sex/nudity aspects; a cultural board which advises on social suitability, and other departments making decisions on national image, or political grounds.

This blurring of responsibility for any single action, and the consequent lack of accountability, seems to be a staple of Thai public life. The 3G fiasco, the BTS fiasco, and the constant political wrangling over the constitution and who has the authority to amend it, are current examples.

To Westerners, it seems bizarre and counter-productive, but it seems to play well with the Thai psyche. Maybe it's all the double-dealing and influence peddling that has to replace workable procedures, that they like.

This film wouldn't have been cheap to make, either, with three big stars; Ananda Everingham, Davika Hoorne and Wia (can't remember his proper name) being among the upper echelons of Thai stardom, so I'm not surprised the film-maker is squawking.

[Jingthing]

Most documentary films in most countries are limited to film festival screenings, broadcasts on "educational" t.v. stations, and at best short runs at art house type movie theaters, when they even exist. There are exceptions of course like Michael Moore documentaries but I doubt this film would have been one of them. Banning a small film like this that would have only been seen by a small elite anyway is an embarrassment to Thailand.

Not doing a mass market distribution of a small film like this because there is a small commercial market for it isn't really censorship. But this sounds like censorship.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Jingthing

[afx]

"This is a society that just doesn't want to debate. Something is missing in our [social] structure," film critic and blogger Wiwat "Film Sick" Lertwiwatwongsa said."

Nail, head.

[theajarn]

This is perfectly fine. Thais without brains (the majority) will not want to watch this in the theatres anyways. Those with brains (and even a couple without) will know where to download it. Until true d̶i̶c̶t̶a̶t̶o̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶ democracy reigns, and things like SOPA and PIPA don't get passed, we still have our VPNs and bit torrents.

Or perhaps I should put that in another way:

T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶f̶e̶c̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶e̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶a̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶a̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶(̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶j̶o̶r̶i̶t̶y̶)̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶a̶t̶r̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶w̶a̶y̶s̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶b̶r̶a̶i̶n̶s̶ ̶(̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶)̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶w̶n̶l̶o̶a̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶ ̶U̶n̶t̶i̶l̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶e̶ ̶d̶̶̶i̶̶̶c̶̶̶t̶̶̶a̶̶̶t̶̶̶o̶̶̶r̶̶̶s̶̶̶h̶̶̶i̶̶̶p̶̶̶ ̶d̶e̶m̶o̶c̶r̶a̶c̶y̶ ̶r̶e̶i̶g̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶S̶O̶P̶A̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶P̶I̶P̶A̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶p̶a̶s̶s̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶V̶P̶N̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶s̶.̶

[theajarn]

If the Thais couldn't get their favourite soap episodes un-cancelled after all that uproar, who would give a fleeting arse about this film? I mean come on... it was a SOAP!

[hellodolly]

The only thing I despair about is Thailand , the signals it is giving out are not good, in this case, far to much control is given to so few, it's not as though no one knows whats happening down South , we see it on the news every day, the same guy measuring up, like it's a motor vehicle accident.

Agreed far to much control is being given to the few terrorists'

They hold three provinces in fear.

[tominbkk]

There's one thing in Thailand that nobody can ever talk about freely and until there is freedom to talk about that one thing freely there will be censorship when and where the govt. decides, no question.