List of films banned in Singapore

This is a list of films banned in Singapore. This list includes films banned for screening in Singapore due to issues of virtue, either by law or by the Board of Film Censors (BFC).

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

List
Date Film Notes
1971–2011 A Clockwork Orange Banned for over 30 years, before an attempt at release was made in 2006. However, the submission for a M18 rating was rejected, and the ban was not lifted.[1] The ban was later lifted, with film was shown uncut with an R21 rating on 28 October 2011, as part of the Perspectives Film Festival.[2][3]
1973 The Exorcist Banned upon initial release, and subsequently rated M18 with cuts made to "a scene of a disfigured statue of the Virgin Mary, and a scene of the possessed girl stabbing herself in the crotch with a crucifix while uttering “Jesus f**k you!”...[for] “films that denigrate any religious group” and “language that denigrates religion or is religiously profane”".[1][4]
1973 Last Tango in Paris Banned for its strong sexual content.[1]
1974–2004 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Banned for 30 years.[1] Passed uncut after 2004 with an M18 rating for violence.[5]
1975 Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom Banned due to graphic violence and nudity.[6]
1979 Monty Python's Life of Brian Banned for "inappropriate" religious content.[7][8]
1980 Cannibal Holocaust Banned for graphic violence.[9]
1980–2006 Saint Jack Banned for the "excessive edits required to the scenes of nudity and some coarse language before it could be shown to a general audience," the film was reclassified to an M18 rating in 2006.[10]
1981–2011 The Evil Dead Banned since its release in 1981; authorities disallowed it for "excessive graphic violence and gore". Ban lifted in 2011 and reclassified R21.[11]
1986 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Banned by the authority. Subsequently, rated R21.[12]
1988 The Last Temptation of Christ Banned for blasphemous content.[13]
1989 Begotten Reportedly banned in Singapore, this experimental horror film depicts the allegorical death and rebirth of a God-like figure with graphic violence and sexual imagery throughout.[14]
1995 A Night on the Water Banned for strong sexuality.[15]
2001–2004 Zoolander Banned without a reason given, though the plot is about a man who is brainwashed to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia, a neighbouring country, which also banned the film.[16] Passed uncut after 2004 with an NC16 rating.[17]
2004 Formula 17 Banned because it "portrayed homosexuality as normal, a natural progression of society."[18]
2005–2009 Singapore Rebel Banned for being a political film, which is not allowed in Singapore. In 2009 the film was reviewed by the Political Films Consultative Committee (PFCC) and unbanned, with an M18 rating.[19]
2006 Shortbus Banned because of pornographic content.[6]
2007 Solos Banned for pervasive explicit homosexual scenes.[20]
2007 Following Desire Banned for "excessive sexual acts and stage performances of a sexual nature which are prolonged, gratuitous and exploitative".[21]
2007 Zahari's 17 Years Banned because, according to the Government of Singapore, it is "against public interests".[22]
2008 A Jihad for Love Banned for an imbalance depiction of Islam as being intolerant. The interviewees also tried to use religion to justify their homosexuality.[21]
2008 David the Tolhidan Banned for its "sympathetic portrayal of an organisation viewed as a terrorist organisation by many countries".[21]
2008 Arabs and Terrorism Banned for its "sympathetic portrayal of an organisation viewed as a terrorist organisation by many countries".[21]
2008 Bakushi Banned for its "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".[21]
2009 Female Games Banned for its "explicit lesbian sex acts".[21]
2009 Boy Banned because it "romanticizes and promotes homosexual relationships. The sexual sequence is prolonged, intense and titillates".[21]
2009 Brides of Allah Banned because it "promotes and justifies the act of terrorism, and uses religion to justify its cause".[21]
2009 Transgressor (School of the Holy Beast) Banned because it "portrayed nuns as lesbians with depictions of sadomasochism as well as bondage in many of the scenes".[21]
2010 Dr Lim Hock Siew Banned due to similar reasons for the film Zahari's 17 Years[23]
2012 Sex.Violence.FamilyValues Banned because of Porn Masala, the second story in Ken Kwek's compendium of three short films. It was deemed "racially offensive and demeaning to Indians" by the Board of Film Censors.[24] The ban was subsequently lifted and the film's Singapore version released with edits in March 2013.[25] However, the film had not completed its Singapore theatrical run when it was banned by the Malaysian Board of Film Censors, who found it "obscene" and "insulting to local cultures".[26] The film was also withdrawn from the ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards, where it was due to be screened from Mar 28–30, 2013.[27]
2014 To Singapore, With Love Banned because it allegedly undermined national security as "the individuals in the film have given distorted and untruthful accounts of how they came to leave Singapore and remain outside Singapore," and that "a number of these self-professed 'exiles' were members of, or had provided support to, the proscribed Communist Party of Malaya."[28]

References
  1. Davis, Laura (16 August 2009). "Gratuitous Gore and Sex". Tonight. Tonight & Independent Online. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  2. "Perspective Film Festival 2011 Brochure". Archived from the original on 2011-12-21. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  3. Tan, Jeanette (11 October 2011). "'A Clockwork Orange' to premiere at S'pore film fest". Yahoo!. Yahoo! Singapore. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  4. "The Exorcist on Film Classification Database". Info-communications Media Development Authority. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  5. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Film Classification Database". Info-communications Media Development Authority. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  6. Beaney, Harriet. "Controversial Cinema: Top 10 Banned Films". Berlin Film Journal. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  7. "10 Banned Films - ShortList Magazine". ShortList Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  8. Mathews, Kevin (6 May 2014). "An Evening With John Cleese". MediaCorp. TODAY. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  9. Davis, Laura (5 October 2010). "BANNED: THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMS". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  10. Suk-Wai, Cheong (29 March 2006). "Saint Elsewhere". Life!. The Straits Times. p. 5.
  11. Davis, Laura (5 October 2010). "BANNED: THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMS". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  12. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". IMDB. Archived from the original on 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  13. Tan, Dawn Wei (Jul 19, 2014). "Public bodies' role in a plural society". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  14. Savlov, Marc (May 18, 2009). "'Jane! Stop This Crazy Thing!' (The Downside to Galaxy Highland Theater's New Robotic Seats) – Five Films We Don't Want to See in D-Box". Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  15. "Hong Kong Digital #102a: A Night on the Water". Dighkmovies.com. 2002-04-01. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  16. "Singapore bans US comedy film". BBC News. 8 February 2002.
  17. "Zoolander on Films Classification Database". Info-communications Media Development Authority. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  18. "Singapore censor passes Brokeback". BBC News. 2006-02-15. Archived from the original on 2006-11-21. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  19. "Censor okays political film". Straits Time. 2009-09-12. Archived from the original on 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  20. Tan, Quancai Eugene. "One Rule to Rule Them All: a Study of Singapore Censorship". SGNewWave. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  21. "9 Films Banned in Singapore". Singapore Press Holdings. AsiaOne. Oct 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  22. "Singapore is banning a film about a former political detainee who was held for 17 years without trial to protect public interests, the government said". Reuters. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  23. "Censors ban Martyn See's film on Dr Lim Hock Sie". Channel NewsAsia. 2010-07-12. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  24. Shibani Mahtani (23 October 2012). "Singapore Bans Film, Director Vows Appeal". WSJ. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  25. Chun Han Wong (26 February 2013). "Once-Banned Film Opens in Singapore Soon". WSJ. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  26. "Sex. Violence. FamilyValues banned in M'sia". Yahoo Entertainment Singapore. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  27. "Sex. Violence earns Malaysia ban". Filmbiz.asia. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  28. "To Singapore, With Love on Film Classification Database". Info-communications Media Development Authority. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
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