"(3) now back to Syndromes and a Century ... very humbly, i think it deserves a technical nomination at least for its style ... now i recall the controversy, it has to do with the depiction of monks, religion, etc ... " 

Apichatpong and his producers tried to argue that violent and disrespectful films are approved every week for mass consumption. The committee claimed that the film depicted Thai society in a bad light and has no artistic merit (which is laughable to say the least). Incidentally, the scene in which a monk plays a guitar was deemed to be okay. The kissing scene between the doctor and his girlfriend wasn't, and neither was the one in which a group of medical professionals share some whiskey. It goes deeper, I think. Apichatpong's sexual orientation has been an issue for a while now, and it seems to me that attempts are made to humiliate him at every turn.