Private Project

Silenced Shakespeare

After a 25-year battle with Thai censorship, a filmmaker discusses the value of art in society.

  • Aljoša Toplak
    Producer
  • Aljoša Toplak
    Director
  • Aljoša Toplak
    Writer
  • Aljoša Toplak
    Editor
  • Aljoša Toplak
    Key Cast
  • Ing Kanjanavanit
    Key Cast
    Director of Shakespeare Must Die (2012), Citizen Juling (2008) and Dog God (1998)
  • Pisarn Pattanapeeradej
    Key Cast
    Lead actor in Shakespeare Must Die (2012)
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 13, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    0 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Slovenia
  • Country of Filming:
    Thailand
  • Language:
    English, Thai
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Mestni kino Ptuj - Filmi Aljoše Toplaka
    Ptuj
    Slovenia
    June 13, 2024
    Slovenian premiere
  • 27th Festival of Slovenian Film
    Portorož
    Slovenia
    October 23, 2024
    Official competition programme
  • 22nd Luksuz Film Festival
    Krško
    Slovenia
    January 31, 2025
    Official selection
  • Festival svobodne video produkcije 2025
    Kamnik
    Slovenia
    February 1, 2025
    Official selection
  • Kuala Lumpur International Film Awards
    Kuala Lumpur
    Malaysia
    January 17, 2026
    Asian premiere
    Official selection
Director Biography - Aljoša Toplak

Aljoša Toplak (1996) is a slovenian philosopher, writer and video-essayist, known for his Youtube videos about the meaning of life in film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 1998, a Thai horror film was banned for its "offensive attitudes towards Thai religious beliefs." Years later, in 2012, a film by the same director (an adaptation of Macbeth) was banned for allegedly posing a "threat to national security." After a quarter-century of battling with Thai censorship, the filmmaker reflects on the value of art in society -- moments before a hearing at the Supreme Administrative Court of Thailand, where she will be finally granted the right to show her films to the public.

I visited the filmmaker at her house in Bangkok and kept the camera rolling while we freely conversed and ate dinner. I took four scenes from the 4-hour footage that I thought best capture the feelings and thoughts of the filmmaker awaiting her trial.