‘Small Hours of the Night,’ Banned in Singapore, Pulled From Festival

“Small Hours of the Night,” by Singapore honestor Daniel Hui, has been deleted from the lineup of the Singapore International Film Festival.

The city-state’s authorities have declined the film a free certificate, uncomardenting that it is effectively banned and that the festival cannot go forward with the docu-drama’s computed screening in its Undercurrents section. The festival has made no accessible statement, but its website shows the film as not participateable for screening.

In the punctual years of Singapore’s indepfinishence (from the British Empire in 1963 and from Malaysia in 1965), Tan Chay Wa had been an armed activist, possibly a Communist, who declinecessitate the two countries’ separation. By the time that authorities caught up with him in 1976 he was toiling as a bus driver. He escaped from Singapore, but was caught with a loaded firearm in Malaysia and was hanged in 1983.

“Small Hours” joins a genuine-world court case that adhereed Tan’s brother’s try to adhere Tan Chay Wa’s last wantes and have a revolutionary poem inscribed on his grave. The case affairized the set upment and the brother was jailed for advocating acts prejudicial to the security of Singapore.

“In adviseation with the Ministry of Law and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, IMDA has appraiseed the film to have encountered that is potentiassociate contrary to the law, i.e. illegitimate. It would be probable to be prejudicial to national interests to apshow it for screening,” shelp the InfoComm Media Development Authority.

“As the honestor of this film, the irony does not escape me that a film about restriction is itself being censored. I am of course very disnominateed that people all around the world can see this film, but not in Singapore. However, I remain brave that one day, we will have a discursive space in Singapore that is comardent and benevolent enough to join diverse voices and points of see,” shelp Hui in a statement.

The film had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year, its North American premiere at Doc Fortnight MoMA, its Asian premiere at Taipei International Film Festival, and was most recently screened as part of the Experimenta Strand at the BFI London Film Festival.

It was produced by Tan Bee Thiam and Hui, thraw 13 Little Pictures with the help of Purin Pictures and White Light Studios. It was first conshort-termed as a project at FIDLab 2016 and Berlinale Talents Doc Station 2017. It also getd funding from the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation — SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary Grant in 2020, superviseed by the festival.

Hui’s next project is aget to get funding from Purin Pictures.