The recent censorship of the award-winning art film "Saeng Sattawat" (Syndromes and a Century) has lit a fuse that could soon cause a big bang in Thai film circles. Already the consequences are spreading, with calls for fundamental structural change that grants freedom of speech to film-makers.

Among the changes demanded are a new Thai Film Act to replace the current one, which is 77 years old - older than democracy in Thailand. Another demand is that in the drafting of the new constitution, films be defined as a specific kind of media in order to guarantee freedom of speech in the industry.

If critics get their way, the present Thai Board of Censors will be cut out of the scene and the current controversial film censorship system will be replaced with a more progressive rating measure, as happens in many Western countries.

"Saeng Sattawat" was effectively banned on April 10 when the censorship board informed the film's director and his team that it could not allow the film to screen without cutting four "improper" scenes.

The scenes included a monk playing a guitar, a monk playing with a model aircraft, a doctor drinking alcohol in her private room, and a doctor kissing his girlfriend in hospital followed by a close shot of him covering the movement in his trousers with his hand.

The film's director, Apichatpong Weerasetthakul, refused to cut the scenes and instead agreed not to screen the film in Thailand at all. He asked the board to return the original spools. The film had been scheduled to debut here last Thursday, and its cancellation provoked anger among film critics, film lovers and audiences.

"As a film-maker, I treat my work as my own children.

When I conceive them, they have their own lives to live. If these offspring of mine cannot live in their own country, for whatever reason, let them be free elsewhere. There is no reason to mutilate them out of fear of the system, or from greed. Otherwise there is no motive for one to continue making art," Apichatpong declared from the United States. He is on tour to introduce his film abroad.

"Saeng Sattawat" has already received four awards at film festivals in France, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Australia. It has also been selected by officials at another nine international film festivals.

The film is also one of six international films produced to join in the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Austrian composer Mozart. Apichatpong was selected as one of six prominent directors from around the world to join this project. The film explains Apichartpong's inspiration from three of Mozart's vocal pieces: "The Magic Flute", "La Clemenzd di Titi" and "Requiem".

"Apichartpong not accepting the four cuts is understandable and reasonable. All four scenes have an important place in the story the film is telling," said Suparb Rimthephathip of Bioscope magazine, who had already seen the film at a recent press preview.

"It is a tragedy when a Thai has talent and success to show the world but his masterpiece cannot be seen in his motherland," Suparb said.

The controversy hotted up when the board refused to return the original film to the director without cutting the four scenes. The director insisted on the return of the original, without cuts. One member of the board even retorted emotionally to the director's team: "No one has ever done anything like this before, not even with huge-budget films."

There was a strong reaction from film-makers, audiences and critics.

An online petition was initiated by Bioscope, the Thai Film Foundation and the Thai Film Directors' Association. By late last night, 4,170 Thais and foreigners had signed the petition.

There was anger on the website from those who disagreed with the censorship board. Reactions ranged from mild attacks such as "What is wrong with the censorship board?" to "If protests on the Internet do not work, should we consider a street protest?"

"This is a fraud - a criminal case. The board has no right to do as they have done," Kittisak Suwannaphokin, a prominent film critic, said.

"The problem is the law that gives all the power to the censorship board," said Kwanchai Chotiphan of the Law Society of Thailand.

"This law is 77 years old. It's from the King Rama VII era. It is outdated and needs urgent revision. This is the oldest act I have seen still on the books. The 1930 Film Act was obviously intended to control the freedom of expression in films," he said.

During the next two weeks, at least two universities - Thammasart and Chulalongkorn - are scheduled to hold forums to discuss the "Saeng Sattawat" case, as well as the whole question of censorship.

The implications could be far reaching. The screening has to be cancelled because of the attitude of the board. The board could also fine the director Bt2,000 and jail him for six months, as well as put his name on a permanent blacklist.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation