Culture

Thailand Gets Film-Rating System

by Jordan Yerman | February 18, 2009 at 06:50 am

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Thailand is getting its first-ever film rating system. Personally, I had no idea that the Southeast Asian country didn't already have one.

The new system will not only have the expected ratings from great-for-kids to adults-only, as well as two separate classifications: banned for "inappropriate" content and promoted for cultural purposes. the latter is meant to encourage the making of films beyond typical comedies.

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02-06-06 Bangkok Future Park Shopping Mall 03 (Movie Theater)

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The other ratings are based on age restrictions for audience members: general audiences, 13, 15, 18, and 20.

I never saw any movies in Thai cinemas, just on buses and guesthouse lobbies, usually via VCD, a format not too common in the West.

"We should be able to enforce the regulations from May onward," Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch said, quoted in The Nation newspaper. The system will have seven categories, rather than the more usual five used elsewhere. "The two extra groups are for films that should be promoted on merits of cultures, arts or traditions, and films that should be banned for containing inappropriate content," Teera said. Among pics banned from Thai screens will be those that authorities believe offend the monarchy, threaten national security or national unity, insult religion, disrespect "honourable figures," challenge morals or contain explicit sex scenes.

The new system will be brought into effect in May. I wonder what rating Tom Yum Goong would have gotten, with that scene in which Tony Jaa breaks everybody's arms?

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Michael Sarver

at 10:43 on February 18th, 2009

It will be interesting to see what some of the Thai movies are rated as and how strict their guidelines will be. Many Thai movies are pretty bold in violence, blood and language. Will be interesting indeed!