Singapore - A 45-MINUTE film portraying Singapore as lacking in press and political freedoms is under investigation by the Board of Film Censors (BFC).
Titled One Nation Under Lee, the film was being screened to an audience of about 70 at the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel last Saturday when officials from the BFC turned up to seize the film.
Organisers of the screening, led by Chee Siok Chin of the Singapore Democratic Party, argued it was a private event, but BFC officials said they had been tipped off that the film had not been passed by the censors and they had the right to investigate.
The police were called in when negotiations hit a stalemate.
Chee eventually let BFC officials into the room and handed over the film.
“It seems bizarre that the authorities would come to this private event. At a wedding, they don`t expect people to send in their videos being screened for classification. What`s the difference here?” said Chee.
Produced by 23-year-old political activist Seelan Palay, the film depicts a Singapore tightly controlled by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and includes a call for civil disobedience.
Source: thestar.com (22 Mei 2008)
