Japanese film kept in the dark at Thai film festival

Sep 24, 2008, 13:52 GMT

   Bangkok - The director of a Japanese film about trafficking in children wants his movie screened worldwide, but the Thai censorship board feels different and banned it from a film festival in Thailand's capital, he said Wednesday.

   Jyunji Sakamoto's 'Children in the Dark,' released in Japan on August 2, was slated to screen at the eight-day Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 this week but was pulled for unspecified reasons, he said at a press conference.

   Filmed in Thailand, the movie portrays foreigners visiting the kingdom to have sex with children and the impact that has on some people involved.

But producer Yukiko Shiii, who with Sakamoto and fellow producer Masaomi Karasaki, flew to Bangkok specifically to hold a press conference about the film being banned, called it a film about an issue not a country.

'The film is not just about Thailand but about (people) going to developing countries for children,' she said in Japanese.

   Although the film is out of the festival, all three said they are willing to work with the censorship board and cut the film so it can have a general release in Thailand.

   'We hope to release it in other counties, any country that is interested,' Shiii said.

   The independent film has generated greater interest in Japan than expected, Shiii said, adding since it was released in seven theaters on August 2 it has moved into 102 theaters. She said that reception told more about the film than any review could.

The Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 originally included the film in the schedule but later pulled it with no specific reason given, Sakamoto said.

'All we officially heard was it was inappropriate for the film festival,' Shiii said.

   The film board and organizers of the film festival could not immediately be reached for comment.

The film's rating in Japan requires children under 12 to be accompanied by their parents, Shiii said, adding that she and her colleagues feel strongly enough about the film being screened they paid for trips to Bangkok to make the point.

'The film is nothing compared to what you can see on the inter net,' she said while talking about inappropriate images.

Sakamoto said they want to screen the film in as many country's as possible but Thailand is the most important one because it was filmed in the kingdom.