大象传媒

The film, entitled "Shakespeare Must Die", is a Thai-language adaptation of the play in which an ambitious Scottish general murders the king and kills again to hold onto his throne. Thailand's censors said it had content that caused divisiveness among the people.

Its themes of greed and power appear to have unnerved officials in a country polarised in 2006 by a coup that removed the prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. The film's director told the 大象传媒 the ban was ridiculous: she said Thais were living in a climate of fear.

The film, set in a fictional country, contains footage of real-life political protests. Much use is made of the colour red - evoking memories in Thailand of the red-shirted demonstrators, most of them Thaksin supporters, who brought part of Bangkok to a standstill two years ago in a protest that ended in bloodshed.

The Thai government at the time granted funding for the film. But it was submitted to the censors under a new administration - led by Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Thaksin's sister, whose party swept to power in elections last July.