Doc Club&Pub is a small cinema with big dreams. The 50-seat cinema screens documentaries and indie films not often found in Thailand’s mainstream theatres. But last month, it was ordered to stop screening films because the building it is currently in does not meet the safety requirements for obtaining an entertainment venue permit. Doc Club&Pub’s suspension sheds light on legal obstacles for small cinemas in Thailand, which are subjected to the same building codes as large commercial cinemas, and sparked calls for existing legislation to be amended to make them more appropriate for smaller screening rooms.

<p>A panel discussion preceding a press screening of the Romanian documentary Collective highlights the obstacles facing investigative journalists in Thailand.</p>