MDDI to allow ‘greater flexibility’ in screening dialect movies in S’pore cinemas
In a boost to film-lovers and local cinemas alike, dialect movies will be allowed to be screened in cinemas with no restrictions on the number of screenings.
This is as long as a Mandarin-dubbed version of the same film is also released, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Sunday (23 Aug).
Source: David Neo on Facebook
Current screening limit on dialect movies in cinemas will be relaxed: PM Wong
The move was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the National Day Rally (NDR) on Sunday.
In his Mandarin speech, Mr Wong said the current limit on dialect film screenings will be relaxed.
As long as a Mandarin-dubbed version is available, there will be “no cap on the number of dialect screenings”, he added.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore on YouTube
Hearing dialect in movie ‘endearing’: PM
Mr Wong, who said he had watched the Teochew version of hit movie “Dear You”, quoted a line from the movie:
Be a person of compassion and loyalty.
Hearing those words in dialect made them “even more endearing”, he maintained, agreeing that dialects are a cultural heritage worth preserving.
Source: David Neo on Facebook
That said, Singapore must also protect the hard-won gains of the Speak Mandarin Campaign, which has caused Mandarin to become the common language among Chinese Singaporeans, Mr Wong added.
He noted that Singapore’s bilingual policy and efforts to promote Mandarin are “moving in the right direction”, and they “must continue”.
Dialect restrictions to be removed for pay TV channels
Mr Wong also announced that Singapore’s free-to-air TV broadcasts will remain mainly in Mandarin, but restrictions can be eased for pay television and movies.
Thus, MDDI said it would remove the existing restrictions for dialect content on subscription TV services.
Currently, only one dialect arthouse movie is allowed per week, and a percentage of dialect songs are allowed on music channels.
However, Mandarin will continue to be the mainstay for free-to-air TV and radio.
These updated dialect guidelines will take effect next month.
Teochew version of ‘Dear You’ a hit in S’pore cinemas
The relaxation comes as “Dear You” became an unlikely hit in local cinemas, with Singaporeans queuing for hours to get tickets for limited screenings in Teochew.
Source: Daniel Yun on Facebook
This prompted local film-makers Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, as well as many Singaporeans, to question whether the current restrictions on dialects were still relevant in today’s Singapore.
A number of MPs from both the ruling party and opposition also raised questions about the issue in Parliament.
Cinema operator Golden Village eventually applied for many more screenings, which were approved by the Infocomm Media Development Agency (IMDA).
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Featured image adapted from David Neo on Facebook.
