FILMMAKERS RISE AGAINST CENSORSHIP

THE ARTICLE BELOW IS WRITTEN BY KONG RITHDEE FROM “BANGKOK POST”. THE PHOTO IS FROM http://thaiindie.com


http://www.bangkokpost.com/240407_News/24Apr2007_news07.php



FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION / CALL FOR END TO OUTDATED LAWS

Filmmakers rise against censorship

KONG RITHDEE

A group of artists, filmmakers and NGOs yesterday launched a movement for the abolition of outdated censorship laws and the introduction of a rating system.

The Free Thai Cinema Movement was initiated by the Thai Film Foundation, Thai Film Directors Association, Bioscope magazine, Thaiindie and Thai Short Film groups. It follows the controversial demand by the Censorship Board that four scenes be cut from Apichatpong Weerasethakul's acclaimed movie Saeng Satawat (Syndromes and a Century).

"This is not just about my movie," said Mr Apichatpong, who withdrew his film from commercial release and refused to cut the four scenes. "This is about calling for a new system that will protect the rights of the filmmakers as well as of the audience."

"The law governing movie censorship is the Film Act of 1930, which was promulgated even before this country became a democracy," said Chalida Uabumrungjit of the Thai Film Foundation. "What we're trying to do is not only defend some movies, but to exercise our democratic rights, and it is good timing because a new constitution is being drafted now."

Prachya Pinkaew, president of the Thai Directors Association and director of Ong-bak and Tom-Yum-Goong, said the charter drafters should define films as a form of mass media, which in effect would prevent any form of government intervention.

"Newspapers, television and radio are already free, but the cinema is still left out," he said. "The drafters of the new charter must take this issue into account."

On April 10 the Censorship Board demanded that Mr Apichatpong make four cuts to Saeng Satawat _ scenes showing a monk playing a guitar, doctors drinking whisky, a doctor kissing his girlfriend, and two monks playing with a radio-controlled aeroplane.

When the director refused to cut the film and confirmed he would not release the movie in Thailand, the censors refused to return the print of the film and insisted that, by law, it would have to make the cuts to the film itself.

This has sparked a widespread reaction from movie-goers and organisations seeing this as a form of oppression of free speech.

No representatives of the censors appeared at yesterday's press conference to launch the Free Thai Cinema Movement.

"It's time for the state to recognise the right of artists to create their works," said Jiranan Pitpreecha, poet and Sea-Write winner. "A rating system for movies is the way to show that Thailand is ready to become a developed country."