Singapore: Political Depictions in Film

Singapore is the world's fourth strongest financial market with the highest concentration of millionaire households. Evolving greatly from its humble beginnings, the tiny island nation is one of Asia's richest and most robust countries. Singapore has the second highest per capita gross domestic product. A highly economically developed country, it hosts a rich cultural heritage. Tracing its roots back to the third century, Singapore has witnessed civilizations, wars, foreign occupation and liberation before finally emerging as a powerhouse.

In contrast to its potent modernization is Singapore's occasional conservative approach toward arts and culture; some domestic films and foreign-produced movies are banned. Politically charged content is particularly sensitive and Singapore takes a cautious approach to content and entertainment classification. The country's classification watchdog, the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) is especially mindful of government's preferences.

Here are a few landmark movies about Singapore and its political history.

"To Singapore with Love" directed by Tan Pin Pin (2013)

The documentary features nine exiled Singaporeans who leave their country during the communist struggle of 1960s to 1980s. This period continues to be a very sensitive topic. The communist insurgency in the 1960s and the activities of the now defunct pro-communist Singapore Association of Trade Unions led to the killing and wounding of thousands of people in Malaysia and Singapore. It is a dark chapter in its history . Tan Pin Pin's documentary "To Singapore with Love" features the communist perspective. The IMDA banned the movie stating it threatened Singapore's national security as the people featured provide a distorted and untruthful account of the circumstances.

"1987: Untracing The Conspiracy" directed by Jason Soo (2015)

Though not prohibited, the documentary depicts the arrest of 22 alleged Marxist conspiracists and under Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA) was rated R21 without it featuring violence, drugs, nudity or LGBTQ content. Filmmaker Jason Soo appealed for a much lower rating of PG13. The rejection of the PG13 rating appeal was justified by The Films Appeal Committee (FAC) which stated that, "The selective use of excerpts from newspaper reports and television programs featured in the film did not provide a balanced account of history. Instead, they appeared to reinforce the one-sided narrative of the former detainees. As maturity was needed to understand the context within which the information was being presented, the FAC felt that the film would be more appropriate for mature viewers above 21 years old."

The laws of the land define freedom of expression. It is possible while countries might not agree with what can be expressed lawfully, it is important to understand why. Under Section 33 of the Films Act, the making, importing, distribution or screening of a "party political film" is banned, but films which meet certain criteria are excluded from this prohibition. Some politicians have noted that there has been "greater interest in different interpretations of Singapore's history" in recent years and called for historical events of the 1950s and 1960s to be reexamined for "multiple but fair interpretations."

For now, the government upholds that party political films continue to remain an offense under the Films Act, as they risk harming political discourse. While the government acknowledges there are differing accounts of Singapore's formative events, it also feels the need for safeguards preventing distortion and misrepresentation of facts. Its government believes Singapore continues to strike the right balance between freedom of speech and protecting citizen interests.

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