Asian censorship update

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Policy/Legal News

Australia
Australia has banned the release of North American horror comedy Father's Day, about a man intent on avenging his father's killing. The film was directed by Adam Brooks and produced by Canada's Astron-6, with global distribution by Troma Entertainment.

The Australian Classification Board gave the film a "refused classification" notice on 31 Oct, denying it permission to screen commercially or at the Monster Fest organised last week by its Australian distributor Monster Pictures.

The ACB put the film into the category of those that "depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified."

Malaysia
Release of local film Tanda Putera (pictured) was indefinitely delayed by the highest echelons of the Malaysian government last week.

The film was made by woman director Shuhaimi Baba and produced by her Persona Pictures company with partial funding from government film support agency FINAS. It deals with the aftermath of the 13 May 1969 incident, which saw rioting between the country's Chinese and Malay populations and some 200 people killed.

"Certain scenes depicting the May 13, 1969 tragedy were questioned by many quarters," Information, Communications and Culture Minister, Rais Yatim said, explaining that the cabinet felt that the screening should be deferred for the good of the society.

State news agency Bernama said that Yatim had been asked if certain scenes could be reshot. "I do not think so. I think there will be a meeting between the film director and Finas to evaluate the movie," Bernama reported.

Baba is a respected film-maker, and has been honoured by the state, though she is familiar with trouble. It took four years for her film Pontianak to receive script approval from FINAS. The 2004 film is often considered the first Malaysian horror film of the modern era.

Singapore
Singapore's Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim told Parliament that the recent banning of Ken Kwek's Sex.Violence.FamilyValues was an isolated case.

The satirical comedy that deals with race issues was initially passed for release with a Mature 18 (M18) rating, but that was later raised to Not Allowed For All Rating. He explained that after receiving public complaints about bad language in the film's trailer, the Media Development Authority called for a second opinion from the Films Consultative Panel.

Twenty of the panel's 24 members voted to ban the film. "Only four members felt that the film could be allowed under an R21 rating. None of them agreed with MDA's initial M18 rating," Dr Yaacob said.

The film distributor can appeal for a final decision to the Films Appeal Committee. Director Kwek has begun an appeal against the ban.

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