Not content to just slap a R21 rating on The Kids Are All Right, Singapore's Board of Film Censors has imposed an additional condition on the film's distributors in that the film can only be released on one print – effectively limiting the number of screenings. The film is scheduled to next Thursday with no cuts.
Directed and written by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art and Laurel Canyon) who is herself a lesbian and biological mother of her son whom she raises with her partner, the film centres on a lesbian couple played by Annette Bening and Juliane Moore who used the same anonymous sperm donor to each give birth to their two children. In their teens, the children track down their biological father played by Mark Ruffalo. It has received four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Annette Bening), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), and Best Original Screenplay.
According to the Singapore Straits Times today, the move is said to be the "first time an R21 film will be screened under such a condition outside of a film festival".
The report quoted the explaination provided by the censorship board to the co-distributor Cathay-Keris Films in rejecting its appeal: "The majority of the members agreed with the board that the film normalises a homosexual family unit and has exceeded the film classification guidelines which states that 'Films that promote or normalise a homosexual lifestyle cannot be allowed'."
Under the board's film classification guidelines, films should not "promote or normalise a homosexual lifestyle. However, nonexploitative and non-explicit depictions of sexual activity between two persons ofthe same gender may be considered for R21."
The board also said in the letter quoted by the Straits Times that the fact that the film is allowed for release in Singapore at all was already a concession. It said: "Imposing a condition of one-print serves as a signal to the public at large that such alternative lifestyles should not be encouraged."
Other gay-themed movies including Brokeback Mountain and A Single Man were rated R21 without further conditions imposed. The Kids Are All Right is however the first to portray a same-sex parental household.
Low Yuen Ping, managing director of co-distributor Festive Films, was quoted as saying that the condition was one that he had not encountered before and had he known, he might have reconsidered acquiring the film.
"As a distributor, it means that it will be extremely difficult to recover the cost of acquiring and releasing this film. Had I known this condition beforehand, I probably wouldn't have been able to justify the cost of acquiring this film."
Prominent members of the local cinema industry were also shocked by the news.
"I thought we had grown up. I am flabbergasted," said Lesley Ho, former director of the Singapore International Film Festival.
"That's ridiculous. I'm shocked, this has never happened before," the report quoted filmmaker Eric Khoo as saying.
The Kids Are All Right is scheduled to open in Singapore on Feb 24, 2011. Click onto cathaycineplexes.com.sg for more details.
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Okay, everyone knows that Singapore is one of the world's few remaining police states, but I wonder how her Rulers feel when meeting other politicians, organisations and groups from around the world who - shock, horror - allow their citizens to Think for themselves? Not only 'allow', but see it as the fundamental Civil Right of their citizens?
Then again, allowing Singaporeans to think for themselves could lead to the slippery slope of them starting to ask tricky questions of their (friendly-ish) regime's leaders, and refusing to do what they're told like docile sheep. Before you know it, why, a tiny percentage of Singaporean people might actually want to Pay to see a lesbian-themed film at more than one cinema! Oh my God! Whatever next - anarchy in the streets?! Citizens actually daring to look for some True democracy in Singapore?!?!
God forbid that Anything threaten the political status quo! I'd squash any chance that a few people might want to see something about Lesbians - and so it seems that Singapore's ridiculous censors have.
Meanwhile, most of the rest of the world carries on with Gays - and, yes, 'even' Lesbians - represented on television and cinema as regular, ordinary characters and citizens, no longer deserving of the "Look! It's a gay! Where's its horns and tail? And why isn't it molesting children?" treatment.
Indeed, there's a 50:50 chance that the next President of Ireland will (probably) be the country's most famous gay man - and a highly-regarded Senator, to boot; David Norris (I think he's a bit of a bore, but he's enormously popular with citizens and politicians alike - and EVERYONE knows about his much, much younger long-term Brazilian boyfriend). I'm sure that Singapore's censors must be quaking in their boots - we could have a gay President of Ireland, with our nearby lesbian President of Iceland. Look out, Singapore! The homosexuals are coming! Country by country, we're taking the highest political posts going!
And who knows? Maybe We'll ban all films with a Heterosexual content once we take over Singapore, too! I guess that Singapopre's censors and politicians better hide all their Straight porn collections that they have before We take charge, and perhaps we'll even forget the ridiculous problem they seem to have with even the suggestion of... I... I can hardly bring myself to type it... two women... holding hands...
(Faint.)
"The chewing gum ban in Singapore was enacted in 1992 and revised in 2004 and 2010[1]. It bans the import and sale of chewing gum in Singapore. Bringing chewing gum into Singapore, even small quantities for whatever purpose, is prohibited."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewing_gum_ban_in_Singapore
The law tells me 2 different views about Singaporeans. Either Singaporeans can't live and behave properly without this type of rulers to control every aspect of their lives or simple its rulers are too powerful to touch.
Is there anyone here can tell me, beside Singapore, which country in the world prohibit ....cewing gum. The law was updated in 2010. It seems to me, since 2004 the law was created, Singaporeans are still not be able to dispose consumed cewing gum in the right place according to its law makers. Very interesting piece of law. lol
go see if anyway and bring your mom
gosh, singapore lesbians moms would be an awesome tiger mom double whammy
i just got back from NYC and met all the gay dads there, wow such super over achieving kids they have and in the best schools, its a challenge to keep with these days and I feel inspired to work harder
also while they are at it, they should extend the same unambiguous signal to movies that 'promote and normalize' violence towards people and property like...every other martial arts, gangster flick, sci-fi , action, superhero movie, war drama out there.
just in case, impressionable non-sophisticated natives like myself who have no idea how to eat chewing gum or cross the roads without laws, get the impression that its ok to kill and maim but 2 women in a committed relationship trying to raise children responsibly? that would be the end of civilization.
We should love more and judge less. Everyone has their own sets of values and rights. Honestly are we more right that our neighbour ?
If we can love to give and take , tolerate more and judge less , I think we will be a lot happier.
the worlds bloody full of them, if Singapore was as bad as some whinge about there wouldn't even be ONE miserable screening at least they make an attempt to cover their charade of being a Democracy and having rule of law.. look if and when Singapore people decide they have had enough and start to collectively organise to do some thing about it then and only then will things change,
Watch "The Kings Speech" for a truly fine film. :)
or Farenheit 451, maybe this is the world that SG government likes?
So I am not suprised that if the censors want to ban The Kids Are Alright in the first place. Never mind, there are always alternative ways to catch a good quality movie touching on mature themes if the unreliable system forbid us to watch it in cinemas.
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