A Singapore short film that had been banned in the island state received a special mention at the FreedomFilmFest 2014 held at PJ Live Arts in Selangor recently.
“To Singapore with Love” by Tan Pin Pin was given the honour for highlighting a section of Singaporean history that appears to be absent in today’s discussions.
Here’s what the jury had to say about the film:
“This is a timely film to give special mention to because just this week, it has been banned in Singapore. ‘To Singapore with Love’ in an incredibly brave film by the very talented Singaporean filmmaker Tan Pin Pin that tackles a little known story and challenges the status quo. It also gives a very rare insight into life of political exiles decades after they have escaped their home country and how they create new lives for themselves, yet never let go of the dream of one day returning home.”
The film had been given a NAR classification – which means it cannot be screened or distributed in Singapore – by the country’s Media Development Authority (MDA).
READ: Banned Singapore documentary to be screened in Johor
The body reasoned that the film ‘undermines national security’ by documenting six Singaporeans who fled the country in the 60s and 70s for fear of persecution under its Internal Security Act.
Among the six were trade unionists, Communists and student leaders.
According to the MDA the film had made it look as though the six were ‘being unfairly denied their right to return to Singapore’.
Meanwhile, filmmakers Lyn Lee and James Leong clinched the Best International Documentary award for ‘Wukan’ a film that shows a comprehensive case study on democratic governance.
‘The Last Refuge’ , a documentary by Anne Laure Poree and Guillaume Sohn about the Bunong people in remote Cambodia and their struggle to survive on their land was named winner for Southeast Asia.
The best Malaysian documentary award went to ‘Ida’s Choice’, – by Justin Ong – a coming of age film about twin sisters growing up between drugs and prostitutes in KL’s red light district, Chow Kit.
‘8 Months’ by Huseyin Aydin Gursoy won the Best Short Film Award for shedding light on the experiences of a soldier’s family.
Members of the jury include Al-Jazeera English producer Fiona Lawson-Baker, Pusat KOMAS board member Jerald Joseph, Malaysian filmmaker Din Said, and sec-fen of the International Federation for Human Rights Debbie Stothard.
The festival will continue today in Johor and in several other states between now and Oct 25. Screenings in Singapore will happen in November.
For more information on future screenings, go here.
