Pen-ek's Paradoxocracy delayed over 'technical problem'

Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Prachya Pinkaew promote the Clap! Festival du Film Francais, set for February 13-20 at the Emporium, Bangkok.

Pen-ek Ratanaruang's forthcoming political documentary Paradoxocracy has been delayed, according to The Nation's Soopsip column.

It was set for release on February 7 at the Lido cinemas, but has now been pushed back because of technical problems – color correction and sound. The reason for the delay is not because of any political pressure, insist the filmmaker and his producer.

Soopsip says another insider points out that Paradoxocracy hasn't even been submitted to the film board for rating, so how could there be a censorship issue? "It's too early for that," they say.

Nonetheless, feelings of paranoia and fear are palpable, especially in light of such recent events as the 10-year prison sentence for an activist magazine editor and Channel 3's abrupt cancellation of the politically themed TV series Nua Mek 2, the reasons for which haven't been coherently explained. Add to that the banning last year of Shakespeare Must Die, and well ...