Thai Cinema Uncensored

Thai Cinema Uncensored, by Matthew Hunt, is published by Silkworm Books and distributed by University of Washington Press. The book is also available in Kindle, Play, and Kobo digital editions.

Thai Cinema Uncensored is the first comprehensive history of Thai film censorship, documenting a century of film regulation and analysing the movies cut or banned under the rating system. It also features a definitive survey of Thai political filmmaking, with coverage of rare and unreleased films.

There are candid interviews with ten leading filmmakers: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Yuthlert Sippapak, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Thunska Pansittivorakul, Ing K., Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, Kanittha Kwunyoo, Surasak Pongson, and Nontawat Numbenchapol. The directors discuss their approaches to films dealing with culturally sensitive topics, and their responses to those films being cut or banned.

Book Reviews

“Matthew Hunt’s Thai Cinema Uncensored documents the laughter, the ridiculousness, and the fear behind our fragile façade. I hope that in the near future, this fascinating record will read more like fiction, a horror tinged with comedy, to our young filmmakers.”
— Apichatpong Weerasethakul

“Thai Cinema Uncensored is the first full-length study of Thai film censorship... It contains interviews with ten leading directors, including candid and extended conversations with Thai New Wave veterans Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Pen-ek Ratanaruang.”
— The Big Chilli

“Matthew Hunt traces the history of film censorship in Thailand from the first movie shot in the country in 1923 to the conflicts of the present day. The study is thoroughly researched, clearly organised and very readable... Matthew Hunt has written a dispassionate and fascinating book which has relevance for film, contemporary culture and politics in general.”
— Bangkok Post

“Thai Cinema Uncensored... is a work of resistance against the censors. It describes in detail the struggle of filmmakers to work around inconsistent censorship rules. Matthew Hunt writes with a sense of urgency to legitimize these films and work towards a future where Thai filmmakers make the films they want without having to worry if people will be able to watch them. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of Thai films and the history that has shaped them.”
— International Examiner

“The author has presented a wealth of valuable detail about films, directors, interventions, the mechanisms of everyday censorship and the decisions that must be made by individuals every time they want to make a movie... This is a great read not just for those interested in film, but for anyone trying to understand the nexus between culture and politics in Thailand in recent times... This book is a valuable addition to Thai cinema studies. It is well-written and instructive.”
— Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

“Thais and Thailand watchers will recognise the bigger story, an all-too-common narrative arc streaked with moments of fear, absurdity and humour, in Hunt’s lingering closeups on the mangled, hidden wreckage of film censorship.”
— Art Review

“Le livre Thai Cinema Uncensored... offre ainsi une plongée éclairante dans l’univers cinématographique thaïlandais... une exploration inédite du cinéma thaïlandais indépendant, écrite pour des aficionados d’un cinéma aux marges.”
(‘The book Thai Cinema Uncensored... thus offers an enlightening dive into the Thai cinematic universe... a unique exploration of independent Thai cinema, written for fans of cinema on the margins.’)
— Journal of the Siam Society

“สิ่งที่ทำให้ Thai Cinema Uncensored แข็งแรงขึ้นในการนำเสนอเรื่องของการเซนเซอร์ในภาพยนตร์ไทย นอกจากข้อมูลที่อัปเดตมากๆ... คือการแสดงให้เห็นถึงการดิ้นรนต่อสู้ของผู้กำกับภาพยนตร์ 10 คนที่ประสบปัญหาอย่างมากกับการเซนเซอร์... ได้ให้ภาพของการตั้งคำถามเกี่ยวกับการเมืองการปกครองร่วมสมัยผ่านภาพยนตร์ได้อย่างค่อนข้างครบถ้วน”
(‘The strength of Thai Cinema Uncensored in its presentation of censorship in Thai film, aside from its highly up-to-date information... is its portrayal of the struggles of 10 filmmakers who have faced significant challenges with censorship... it provides a complete picture of the questioning of contemporary politics through film’)
— The 101 World

About the Author

Matthew Hunt, author of Thai Cinema Uncensored, has also written features and columns for various magazines, and he was editor of Encounter Thailand in 2013. He has also been interviewed several times on BBC radio and TV. His published articles and broadcast interviews are archived online.

Matthew was a journalism lecturer at Chulalongkorn University from 2016 to 2019, and he has given guest lectures on Thai cinema for various universities. He has a master’s degree in visual culture.