Directors who bounced back from being banned

TWO MOVIES by filmmakers who have been banned will get special screenings next week in Bangkok.
First up on Monday, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand screens “It Gets Better” (“Mai Dai Kor Hai Ma Rak”) by Tanwarin Sukkhapisit.
It’s the followup to the transgender director’s debut feature, “Insects in the Backyard”, which was banned for its frank depictions of sexuality and sex acts. “It Gets Better” takes a broader, more-commercially appealing approach to addressing the issues of sexuality and gender.
The top nominee at this year’s Subhanahongsa Awards, the movie is structured in three segments that increasingly intertwine. One story deals with a fiftysomething post-op ladyboy (played by actress Penpak Sirikul) who is touring around a small town in Thailand’s scenic north. She catches the eye of a local hunk.
Another tale is about an effeminate young man who is shipped off to the monkhood after his father discovers him dressing up in his mother’s clothes.
And the third part deals with a young man who returns to Thailand after the death of his father and discovers his dad ran a ladyboy cabaret in Pattaya. He finds himself falling for one of the bar’s staff – a tomboy played by Nuntita “Bell” Khampiranon, the genderbending singing star of “Thailand’s Got Talent”. And keep an eye out for the acrobatic dancers in the club – they’re the High Heels, also from “Thailand’s Got Talent” and from the cheerleading squad of Thailand’s “Cheer Ambassadors”.
Tanwarin is expected to be on hand for a post-screening question-and-answer session. Entry for non-members is Bt150 plus Bt100 more for anyone wanting to sip the wines provided by Village Farm and Winery. The show starts at 8pm.
Next up, from Tuesday until November 9, the Friese-Greene Club will host special screenings of “Censor Must Die”, the documentary by artist and filmmaker Ing K that deals with the banning of her previous film, “Shakespeare Must Die”. It’s an instructive and sometimes surreal look at a brand-new Thai bureaucracy – the Culture Ministry’s Film and Video Board and its film-ratings system.
Though “Censor Must Die” has been cleared for public screenings, Ing is still being a bit cagey about showing it, so the screenings are for card-carrying FGC members only. Membership at the moment is free. If you’re not yet a member, you just need to get down to the club and put your name in the book 24 hours before you plan to see the movie. Also, for this movie, there is an admission price: Bt150. For more details, see FGC.in.th.

The road to LA
With the American Film Market set for next week, the Commerce Ministry got an early start on promoting Thailand’s industry by bringing its first-ever film and animation roadshow to Los Angeles.
Wrapping up today, the three-day event was aimed at fostering greater creative and business ties between Hollywood and Thailand.
Heading up the delegation was deputy prime minister and Commerce Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan.
Participating film companies included Amfine Production (which made “It Gets Better”), Five Star Production, Kantana Post Production, Klongchai Pictures, M Pictures, M-Thirtynine, Right Content, Studio Aromdi and Sahamongkol Film International as well as the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand.
Animation companies taking part were Anya Animation, Creative Bean Studio, Imagimax, Lunch Box Studio, Monk Studios, G Motif, Teapot Studio, Tomogram Studio, Vithita Animation and Yggdrazil Group.
The event’s highlight was a Halloween costume party yesterday at the JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot Hotel. It was graced by the presence of Prince Ubol Ratana and a bunch of Thai horror films, including GTH’s record-breaking hit “Pee Mak” as well as “Long Weekend”, “9-9-81” and others.