Gay film festival canceled

[reader]

From Khaosod English

 

BANGKOK — The Gay and Lesbian Film Festival canceled its third edition scheduled for next month in part due to a censor review process that is increasingly unwieldy and disadvantages independent organizers.

 

When organizers of the Bangkok Gay and Lesbian Film Festival announced Wednesday they were calling it off this year, they cited issues with sponsorship and an increasingly complicated review process.

 

“The main reason for canceling this year’s fest is financial problems,” said Thawatchai Deepattana, editor of the Thai edition of Attitude magazine, main organizer of the fest. “And part of it is the complication in submitting movies for the authorities’ approval.”

 

The confusing bureaucratic requirements for showing films has raised questions about the fairness of a process that seems to benefit state-sanctioned events while putting up barriers for private organizers.

 

Thawatchai said the decision to cancel their LGBT-themed festival had nothing to do with its content – the films had yet to be selected – but rather the timing. It would have been the first such festival to undergo a new process for getting government approval for its films.

 

According to the Film and Video Act of 2008, all films in Thailand must be screened for approval with some exceptions such as those produced by government agencies and those showing at certain film festivals. Films can be withheld from showing on grounds of morality, politics, objections from another nation or other sensitivities.

 

The Gay and Lesbian Festival is organized by Thailand’s Attitude Magazine, but because it shows films from around the world, it is considered a foreign film festival.

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/05/26/citing-govt-review-process-organizers-cancel-lgbt-film-fest/

[PeterRS]

I hope this thread is moved to the Gay Thailand forum since it illustrates some of the issues the LGBTQ population face in gaining greater acceptance countrywide. One of many reasons why gay marriage is not going to happen here for a long, long time.