Thailand film festival bans ‘Twilight Over Burma’, but will show latest Steven Seagal flick twice.


A still from 'Twilight Over Burma', which will not be screening at this year's Thailand International Destinations Film Festival.

THE organizers of Thailand’s International Destination Film Festival have dropped ‘Twilight Over Burma’ from its line-up, making it the fourth film to be cut from the original list of 14 movies to be screened.

The movie, which was also banned from screening at a film festival in Burma last month, was dropped this week after festival organizers said the film might endanger Thailand-Burma (Myanmar) relations.

‘Twilight Over Burma’, a historical love story which was partly shot in Northern Thailand, tells the true story of an Austrian woman who marries a Shan prince.

Also censored from the final line-up were ‘Pattaya’, a ‘The Hangover’-esque comedy romp; ‘Happy Hour in Paradise’, about a Swedish alcoholic priest in Phuket; and ‘Detective Chinatown’, from the makers of ‘Lost in Paradise’.

Thai officials said this week that any movies likely to cause problems or give a negative impression of Thailand would not be allowed screen at the event.

The festival, which opened on Wednesday, however, doesn’t appear to be a complete washout. ‘River’, a thriller set in neighboring Laos has gone down well with international critics, as have heartwarming titles like ‘Un Nuovo Giorno’ and ‘Sunny et l’Elephant’.

We’re less sure, however, about Steven Seagal’s latest action titled ‘The Asian Connection’, described on RogerEbert.com as “a lousy bank heist flick and one of Seagal’s most engagingly tacky recent efforts.”

Granted, it was produced in Thailand, but the scheduled two screenings at the festival might just be overkill.

You can find the full, final line-up for the 4th Thailand International Destination Film Festival below.





















CCC