WHAT I READ AND WHAT I CAN'T SEE

This is my comment in Girish Shambu’s blog.
http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2007/04/what-are-you-reading.html

I can’t give you any suggestions about any books, because I’m reading a Thai book now. It’s called THE 8 MASTERS, and it’s about Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, Aki Kaurismaki, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jacques Tati, Shuji Terayama, Ritwik Ghatak, and Jacques Rivette. I feel very keen to read about Jacques Rivette, because he is my favorite director, and it’s difficult to find a book about him in English or Thai here.
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20070409/the-8-master

I have had time to read only some short stories, including “The Documentary Artist” by Jaime Manrique, “Two Telegrams” by Michelangelo Antonioni, “Just Space” by Sam Shepard, and “A Fever in the Blood” by Ethan Coen.

Girish, I also notice that SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY is in your favorite new film list for 2006. I can’t tell you how much I envy you and acquarello, because you two have seen this film, while I don’t know when I will have a chance to see it. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY IS CENSORED IN THAILAND!. The Thai censorship board wants to cut 4 scenes out of this film, but Apichatpong Weerasethakul cannot accept this. So now the film is allowed to be shown only in film festivals, not in general theatres in Thailand.

I thought you might be interested in what Apichatpong said about this, so I quoted him here:

``I, as a filmmaker, treat my works as I do my own sons or daughters. I don't care if people are fond of them or despise them, as long as I created them with my best intentions and efforts. If these offspring of mine cannot live in their own country for whatever reason, let them be free. There is no reason to mutilate them in fear of the system. Otherwise there is no reason for one to continue making art.''

You can read the news in my blog.
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2007/04/syndromes-and-century-is-censored-in.html