ข้อเท็จจริงของ หนัง 6 ตุลา(‘facts regarding 6th Oct. films’)

The Thai Film Archive at Salaya will host a screening and discussion on 22nd October titled ข้อเท็จจริงของ หนัง 6 ตุลา (‘facts regarding 6th Oct. films’). Documentaries about the events of 6th October 1976 will be shown, followed by a discussion about their origins and the differences between them. Altogether there are more than eighty films and videos that refer to 6th October, though this screening will focus specifically on the three earliest documentaries made about the event.

ปณิธาน 6 ตุลา
(‘the 6th Oct. resolution’)

The first commercially available footage of 6th October was released on VHS to mark the 20th anniversary of the event. Almost an hour long, it begins with brief historical context, then replays raw footage of the massacre, and concludes with a caption calling for an end to state violence against civilians. The original footage was silent, though a soundtrack was added for the video release. The on-screen title is ชำระประวัติศาสตร์ ๖ ตุลา (‘revisiting the history of 6th Oct.’), but it was retitled ปณิธาน 6 ตุลา (‘the 6th Oct. resolution’) on the video cover.

ข้อเท็จจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์เมื่อ 6 ตุลาคม 2519
(‘facts regarding the 6th October 1976 incident’)

Shortly after the 1976 coup, the National Administrative Reform Council junta began a propaganda campaign to transfer blame for the violence of 6th October onto the innocent student victims. The NARC published a booklet and made a half-hour documentary, both titled ข้อเท็จจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์เมื่อ 6 ตุลาคม 2519 (‘facts regarding the 6th October 1976 incident’), falsely accusing the students of possessing weapons.

The NARC documentary was produced by Channel 7. It was broadcast on that network, and also shown as part of a travelling exhibition organised by the junta. There is also a nine-minute version titled ภาพเหตุการณ์ 6 ตุลาคม (‘footage of the 6th October event’).