Banned Entry Takes Top Honors at Singapore Film Fest

Singapore’s fourth annual film festival, designed to showcase the latest wave in Asian cinema, has ended on a surreal note with an entry banned by censors walking off with top honors.

Eric Khoo, a young Singaporean filmmaker, won back-to-back awards for best director and special achievement in the short film category for his film “Pain,” which deals with a man’s obsession with enduring pain.

The awards were given by a jury of filmmakers and critics from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain and Singapore.

The film, which apparently contains some graphic scenes of violence, was banned from exhibition by the Singapore government film censorship board. All films and videos must be submitted to the censorship board even for private screenings and films containing graphic sex or violence are frequently cut or banned in Singapore.

When Khoo was called to receive his awards by the master of ceremonies on Saturday night, the hall darkened for the expected film clip, but a voice intoned, “I’m sorry, this film is banned by the Singapore government.” The audience whistled and booed.

Khoo, obviously pleased to have won two awards, said after winning his second silver medallion, “I hope the film censorship board will change its mind about my film.”

“Welcome to Singapore,” joked actress Rani Moorthy, who hosted the evening’s presentation.

When Singapore journalists asked British producer Donald Ranvaud, a member of the jury, why they had given two awards to a banned film, he replied: “All the more reason it should be recognized. None of us really recognize censorship where you keep people from having their own opinions in making what they feel is important.”

Singapore novelist Gobal Baratham, who writes a column for the government-controlled Straits Times newspaper, then again stunned the audience when he rose to present the International Federation of Film Critics award for best film. Baratham said he was an unusual choice to make the presentation because he has boycotted the movies in Singapore for the past 25 years “because I refuse to watch censored films.” The audience cheered.

The winner was “The Blue Kite,” a Chinese production that is banned in China. The movie also won for best Asian actress, Lu Liping, and for best director, Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Another film banned in China, “Beijing Bastards,” shared the special jury prize with a film from Taiwan, “Rebels of the Neon God.”

When the “Blue Kite” and “Beijing Bastards” were shown at a film festival in Hong Kong recently, the Chinese government delegation walked out en masse in protest.