Thai Cinema Uncensored

Thai Cinema Uncensored is published by Silkworm Books.

Thai Cinema Uncensored provides an overview of the history of film regulation in Thailand and the ideology underpinning it, and an assessment of the films cut or banned under the rating system. It examines how Thai filmmakers approach culturally sensitive topics, and how their films have been censored as a result. The focus is on sex, religion, and politics, as these issues have all led to Thai films being 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

“Thai Cinema Uncensored... offre une exploration inédite du cinéma thaïlandais indépendant, écrite pour des aficionados d’un cinéma aux marges.”
(‘Thai Cinema Uncensored... offers 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”
(‘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’)
— The 101 World

About the Author

Matthew Hunt is from the UK and lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
He has an MA in Visual Culture and has written various magazine articles.