Director protests ban from Bangkok fest

September 23, 2008 The Japanese director of a film about child trafficking and prostitution in Thailand on Tuesday protested the Bangkok International Film Festival's removal of the film from its lineup. On the opening day of the sixth annual Bangkok fest, Junji Sakamoto, the director of "Children of the Dark" -- which organizers last week barred from screening in the festival on the grounds that it lacked the proper permits -- announced a news conference for Wednesday. Festival artistic director Yongyoot Thongkongtoon told The Hollywood Reporter that the ban of the Thai-Japanese co-production was more about the subject matter and the image problem it represents for Thailand.

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