After 30 years of being screened without crediting its crew and cast, the feature film "Tongpan" has finally revealed its authors in a booklet issued with the new VCD version.

The movie, now virtually an historic document, is about a northeastern peasant family's suffering as a consequence of the constructions of dams.

That the filmmakers, who endured police harassment and political persecution in the late '80s and early '90s, can be freely given credit indicates that Thailand has reached a new level of openness. Gone are the days when open criticism of state policy was deemed "communism" in order to justify its suppression.

The booklet includes reprints of several behind-the-scenes articles by historian Charnvit Kasetsiri and author Kamsing Srinawk and reviews by Norman Peagam and Baljit Malik, dating from the time the film was released.

Viewers will appreciate the booklet as a substantial augment. The movie originally had only a brief introduction and epilogue that summarised "coincidences", such as the bloodshed of October 6, 1976, taking place just weeks after filming was completed.

Not long after, some of the crew went underground.

Listed on the back cover are the many overseas prizes and extensive praise the film has garnered over the years. Film institutes and scholars on Southeast Asia were impressed by the way it addressed the issue of modern development and its impact on residents of the affected area.

Then there's a remarkable interview from two years ago with Paijong Lai-sakul, an ordinary woman who became the film production's sole guardian when it was at its most vulnerable.

Officially credited as film editor, Paijong humbly acknowledged that she became producer when Mike Morrow, a Hong Kong-based correspondent with the Far Eastern Economic Review, was unable to commit.

She was also involved in the screenwriting, working from the script drafted by Kamsing Srinawk and Wittayakorn Chiengkul.

And together with Rasmi Paoluengtong, Yudhana Mukdasanit and Surachai Janthimathorn - who became accomplished artists in their own fields - Paijong directed the movie. She even appears in it.

When Bangkok erupted on October 6, Paijong was editing the film in Hong Kong. She took it, still unfinished, to Sweden and there struggled to make ends meet.

Paijong's unfortunate tale is not unique; it's common to the lives of many socially concerned students and intellectuals of the '80s. Like her, they found themselves in situations that turned out to be historic without the slightest idea of the dire consequences.

The Tongpan of the title was an Isaan peasant whose roommate, Kamsing Srinawk, movingly described his plight to participants at a public seminar on the proposed Pa Mong Dam on the Mekong River.

After hearing his story, Morrow and Paijong decided to make a movie about him. Frank Green, newly graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, agreed to handle the shooting with his 16mm camera.

The saga of Tongpan continues to inspire viewers. The group of individuals who committed the story to film deserve tribute for refusing to give up their belief that the free flow of truthful information makes human dignity and justice possible.

The quality of the film, somewhat surprisingly given the tumultuous life of the original copy, remains high. There are a few shaky parts at the beginning and in some scenes with music.

The dialogue is primarily in Thai's central and northeastern dialects, with some English. The VCD has English subtitles.

By Sukanya Hantrakul