9 films banned in Singapore

1. Following Desire (2007)


The Japanese film is about the story of an Osaka stripper and her performances.




Reason it was banned:


The film contains excessive sexual acts and stage performances of a sexual nature which are prolonged, gratuitous and exploitative.



2. A Jihad For Love (2008)

A documentary featuring interviews with Muslim homosexuals and their struggle to reconcile their sexuality with their faith.



Reason it was banned:

The documentary depicted Islam as being intolerant and lacked balance. The interviewees also tried to use religion to justify their homosexuality.



3. David the Tolhidan (2008)

The film dwells on the experience of an individual, David, who joins what is deemed to be a terrorist organisation.

David justifies his action as a fight on behalf of the oppressed. He also states his preference for military action over diplomacy.




Reason it was banned:

The film gave a sympathetic portrayal of an organisation viewed as a terrorist organisation by many countries.



4. Arabs and Terrorism (2008)

The three-part documentary examines common perceptions which link Arabs closely to terrorism.




Reason it was banned:


The film gave a sympathetic portrayal of an organisation viewed as a terrorist organisation by many countries.



5. Bakushi (2008)

The documentary explores and showcases the practice of "rope tying" nude women in Japan.




Reason it was banned:

The film contained several prolonged and explicit sado-masochistic sequences, demonstrating how the rope masters tied up nude women and subjected them to various degrees of physical abuse and sexual degradation, for the erotic gratification of their audience.



6. Female Games (2009)

The film revolves round two female aspiring models who travel to Malaysia to meet a casting director in hope of kick-starting a lucrative career.



Reason it was banned:

The original full version was disallowed as it contains many explicit lesbian sex acts and exceeded the classification guidelines.

An edited version was subsequently submitted, and was classified R21 with an edit to an explicit and prolonged lesbian sexual scene.

7. Boy (2009)

The Philippine film is about a male teenage boy who is attracted to a dancer at a gay bar.



Reason it was banned:

The film focuses on the homosexual love between a teenage boy and a young dancer. It romanticises and promotes homosexual relationships. The sexual sequence is prolonged, intense and titillates, and has exceeded film classification guidelines.



8. Brides of Allah (2009)

The documentary captures interviews with a group of Palestinian women who are in prison for being suicide bombers or having abetted suicide bombing acts in Israel.



Reason it was banned:

The film promotes and justifies the act of terrorism, and uses religion to justify its cause.



9. Transgressor (School of the Holy Beast) (2009)

The film is about a woman who joins a convent to investigate the death of her mother 18 years ago. To her shock and horror, she discovers that one of the priests is having sexual relationships with the nuns in the convent amidst other sexual romps.



Reason it was banned:

The film portrayed nuns as lesbians with depictions of sadomasochism as well as bondage in many of the scenes.

Fri, Oct 01, 2010
AsiaOne