Politics and Ideology of Thai Film Censorship

Politics and Ideology of Thai Film Censorship, with MATTHEW HUNT, Author of Thai Cinema Uncensored

Online presentation followed by Q&A

Date and time: March 19, 2021 | NOON – 1:30 PM Wisconsin time (7:00am – 8:30am HST)

Join via Zoom. Meeting ID: 979 8213 2663

After a campaign by the film community protesting against the arbitrary censorship of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Syndromes and a Century, a rating system was introduced to Thai cinemas for the first time in 2008. But that long-overdue change didn’t save Thai films from being censored, largely for political reasons. Matthew Hunt wrote a book on Thai film censorship that includes interviews with ten directors whose films have been cut or banned. In this lecture, he will present an overview of the history of film censorship in Thailand, examine the consequences of the rating system, and show how filmmakers are finding ways to comment on Thailand’s volatile contemporary politics.

More info: https://seasia.wisc.edu/spring-2021/