Martyn See's "Singapore Rebel" film gets green light
SINGAPORE : The government has lifted a four-year ban on the film "Singapore Rebel".
The film, about Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan,
is now rated M18, which allows those above 18 years old to view it.
It is the first political film to be allowed since the Films Act was amended in March.
This follows the formation of an independent Political Films
Consultative Committee to assess if such films are suitable for public
viewing.
Even though the film was banned in 2005, "Singapore Rebel" has been
extensively viewed by about half a million people online, according to
its filmmaker Martyn See.
In May this year, Martyn resubmitted the film to the Board of Film Censors for vetting.
The Media Development Authority said on Friday that the Board of
Film Censors had referred the film to the Political Films Consultative
Committee (PFCC) for advice on whether it should be regarded as a party
political film under the Films Act.
And after reviewing the film, the committee said "Singapore Rebel" is a documentary and not a party political film.
Amy Chua, chairman, Board of Film Censors, said: "The government
has amended the Films Act to allow for more types of party political
films that do not dramatise and/or present a distorted picture, as part
of the government's move to further liberalise and expand the space for
greater political discourse.
The applicant (Martyn See) has requested that his film be assessed as a
documentary without any animation and composed wholly of an accurate
account depicting actual events, persons or situations.
"The PFCC had assessed that the film would fall under the statutory exclusion set out in section 2(3)(e) of the Films Act."
It is the first film to be assessed and allowed by the new committee.
While the man behind the film has welcomed the move, he still has mixed feelings about the lifting of the ban.
Martyn said: "First of all, it is symbolic. Symbolic because it has
been watched by half a million people on YouTube and Google Video for
the last four years.
"In that sense, I am not too elated about it but on the other hand, it
is a good step forward in the sense that other future film makers who
want to attempt to do the same kind of films will know where the
boundaries are."
Martyn has no plans to screen the film any time soon. But he is
hoping that his other film, "Zahari's 17 Years", about former political
detainee Said Zahari, will get the green light as well.
- CNA/ms