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Media censorship in the Republic of Singapore is carried out by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and effected by various laws. ==Films and videos== Over the years, Singapore has gradually moved away from film censorship to film classification. This means that the Board of Film Censors (BFC) now classifies content into age-appropriate ratings. Classification allows films to be suitably rated for different audiences so the public can have greater access to a wider range of media choices without compromising on the need to protect young children from undesirable content. The importing, making, distributing or exhibiting of films in Singapore is governed by the Films Act of 1981.〔http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_legdisp.pl?actno=1998-REVED-107&date=20060115&method=whole&doctitle=〕 Film censorship started out strict before the gradual introduction of an official film classification system. As a result, many films were either simply censored to be approved for commercial screening or banned in the past. Films like ''A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), ''Last Tango in Paris'' (1972), ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) and ''Saint Jack'' (1979) were previously banned. In the late 1980s, ''The Accused'' (1988) had a five-minute gang rape scene cut, while the fake orgasm sequence in ''When Harry Met Sally...'' (1989) was excised. The first attempt at content ratings started in 1991 which included the now defunct "R18" and "R(A)" ratings to allow mature audiences to watch films with explicit content/controversial themes in theaters. The "R18" rating was later revised in the same year to "R(A)" and the age limit was raised from 18 to 21 years old. In 1993, an "NC16" rating was introduced for films that lacked an "adult theme" but was still deemed thematically unsuitable for children such as graphic violence in a war setting which exceeded the then "PG" guidelines. However, the "NC16" rating only got to be used five years later in 1998 with the release of the graphic war drama, Saving Private Ryan (1998). Brief scenes of upper body female frontal nudity in non-sexual context and non-explicit sexual scenes were gradually allowed under the "NC16" rating within the next few years. In 2004, an "M18" rating was added to provide more choices for young adults. Violent content in films started to be held to a stricter standard, which resulted in Saving Private Ryan (1998) being re-rated "M18" for its prolonged and intense sequences of graphic war violence under the new guidelines. Another example was Gladiator (2000), which would be rated "NC16" under the new guidelines instead of its previous "PG" rating. On the other hand, sexual content in films was being liberalised. Many titles that were previously rated "R(A)" for graphic sex scenes/nudity were re-rated "M18". American Beauty (1999) and Shakespeare in Love (1998) were some examples. Titles that still exceeded the guidelines for an "M18" rating were re-rated under "R21", another rating introduced in 2004 which was the maximum age limit for films. Some films that received the "R21" rating were Basic Instinct (1992) and Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003). Home video classification for films up to an "M18" rating was also introduced in the same year. Before 2004, only "PG" rated content was allowed on home video, resulting in many age-restricted shows being censored to a "PG" level or excluded from home video release. A "PG13" rating was later added in July 2011 on the recommendation of the Censorship Review Committee for titles that were deemed unsuitable for young children but not strong enough to warrant an "NC16" rating. Today, the Media Development Authority (MDA) utilises a proper and consistent system of age-appropriate film classification, assigning films different ratings for different groups of audiences: * G (general) – suitable for all ages. (This classification was introduced in 1991) * PG (parental guidance) – suitable for most but parents should guide their young. May contain moderate violence without details, brief rear nudity, infrequent moderate coarse language (e.g. "asshole", "bastard" etc.), discreet drug references, mild displays of affection (i.e. kissing and caressing) and mild sex references/innuendos. (This classification was introduced in 1991) * PG13 (parental guidance 13) – suitable for persons aged 13 and above but parental guidance is advised for children below 13. Recommended by the CRC in 2009, the PG13 rating is given to films with content deemed unsuitable for young children but for which a NC16 rating is not warranted. May contain moderate violence with some details and some infliction of pain and injury, moderate gore, some mature themes, intense and realistic horror, moderate sexual references, sexual innuendoes, sexual imagery, crude hand gestures, sexual humour, rear nudity, side profile nudity, discreet drug use/references, frequent moderate coarse language and infrequent usages of the word "fuck".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=MICA Press Releases & Speeches )〕 (This classification was introduced in 2011) * NC16 (no children below 16) – no children below 16 years of age. May contain brief scenes of upper body female frontal nudity in partial sexual context, moderate sexual activity without nudity or other strong details, moderate sexual violence, strong sex references, brief same-sex kissing scenes, infrequent homosexual references, violence portraying infliction of pain and injuries with some details of blood and gore, frightening scenes which are more prolonged including those with gory disturbing images/scenes, mature themes including (religious themes, homosexual themes and political themes), brief scenes of drug use and strong coarse language (e.g. "motherfucker", "cocksucker" etc.). (This classification was introduced in 1993) * M18 (mature 18) – for persons 18 years and above. May contain full frontal nudity with moderate detail (sexual & non-sexual context), sexual activity which may feature some details (such as infrequent views of bare breasts) but without stronger details (such as views of pubic hair, multiple sex positions/acts and multiple full body shots of sex act), sexual violence without strong details, realistic depiction of violence and gore with strong impact, frequent strong coarse language, drug use with some details, stronger portrayal and exploration of mature themes including (religious themes, homosexual themes/homosexuality as a sub-plot and political themes), implied homosexual activity, occasional displays of affection (i.e. kissing and carassing) between persons of the same gender and prolonged and/or intense sequences that invoke fear and/or terror. (This classification was introduced in 2004) * R21 (restricted 21) – restricted to persons aged 21 and above. May contain frequent full nudity with strong details (close ups of male/female genitalia) in sexual and non-sexual context, sequences of frequent/graphic/prolonged simulated sexual activities, strong and prolonged sexual violence, explicit portrayal and exploration of mature themes such as those involving deviant sexual activities (e.g. sadomasochism, bondage, orgies or sex involving violence) or strong homosexual themes including same-sex marriage/parenting, moderate homosexual activity, pervasive strong coarse language, strong and realistic depictions of violence and gore, depiction of graphic torture if its not deemed excessive and drug taking sequences with strong details. (This classification was introduced in 2004) * NAR (not allowed for all ratings) – In exceptional cases, a film may not be allowed for all ratings (NAR) when the content of the film has been deemed to undermine national interest or erode the moral fabric of society. This includes themes that promote issues that denigrate any race or religion, language that denigrates religion or is religiously profane, depiction of real sexual activities (e.g. actual penetration, actual ejaculation, actual oral sex, actual masturbation), themes that glorify undesirable and unnatural sexual activities (e.g. bestiality, paedophilia, etc.), content deemed to be exploitative or obscene in nature such as actual pornographic footage containing real sex acts, fetishes or practices which are offensive or abhorrent, explicit promotion and normalisation of homosexual lifestyle, graphic homosexual scenes, materials glorifying and encouraging drug and substance abuse, detailed and instructive depiction of illegal drug use, detailed or gratuitous depictions of extreme violence or cruelty and detailed instructions on methods of crime or killings. The categories ''G'', ''PG'' and ''PG13'' are age-advisory ratings. ''NC16'', ''M18'' and ''R21'' are age-restricted ratings. Movies that are classified as ''R21'' are currently excluded from home video releases and suburban theatres. However, as recommended by the latest CRC in September 2010, ''R21'' video-on-demand (VOD) is now allowed on pay TV services.〔 Hollywood's gay biopic ''Milk'' which won Sean Penn the 2009 Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a homosexual politician and Ang Lee's gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain are some of the films that received an ''R21'' rating for strong homosexual themes. Most recently, the controversial film ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' was released uncut in Singapore with an ''R21'' rating, while it is banned in neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia. Oftentimes, this film classification system compels film distributors to create an alternate, cleaner version of the film to qualify for less restrictive ratings and suburban theatrical screenings for commercial reasons. For example, in 2007, distributor Focus Features released ''Lust, Caution'' (2007) in two versions: an edited ''NC16''-rated version that was nine minutes shorter and another that was ''R21''-rated and uncut. At the same time, the MDA allows for "some leeway during classification" for films with "limited screenings". For instance, in 2012, Cathay-Keris Films was told that ''Shame'' (2011) would receive an ''R21'' rating for commercial release in mainstream cinemas only if a scene featuring group sex was edited. However, when the film was re-submitted for classification for the Singapore Film Society screening in 2013, the MDA gave it an ''R21'' rating without edits. The film ''The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) had to have an orgy and threesome scene edited to secure an ''R21'' rating. Likewise, the French film ''Blue Is the Warmest Colour'' (2013) had to have an explicit and prolonged lesbian sex scene sequence considerably edited down to secure the ''R21'' rating. The film ''Black Swan'' (2010) was passed with an ''M18'' rating, but only after a mandatory cut was made for a graphic lesbian scene. In 2011, the Oscar-nominated drama ''The Kids Are All Right'' (2010) was given an ''R21'' rating with the condition of a one-print theatrical release as the film was deemed to be "explicit in its portrayal of a lesbian family as a normal and acceptable lifestyle" which had exceeded the MDA's Films Classification Guidelines. The restriction served as a signal that the film had gone beyond community values in Singapore. Some local films have also encounted censorship difficulties with the MDA. In 2003, filmmaker Royston Tan's gangster-themed "15" (2003) suffered numerous cuts pertaining to national security concerns. In 2007, filmmaker Loo Zihan's homosexual-themed ''Solos'' (2007) was given an NAR rating. In June 2012, the MDA revoked the ''M18'' classification of Singaporean director Ken Kwek's ''Sex.Violence.FamilyValues'' (2012) and banned the film a day after its premiere after receiving complaints from Indians who alleged that the "Porn Masala" section of the film contained scenes which were offensive to Singapore's Indian community. The film's director and producers submitted an appeal to Singapore's government-appointed Films Appeal Committee, asking for the ban to be lifted. In January 2013, the Films Appeal Committee overturned the Board of Film Censors' decision and lifted the ban, giving it an ''R21'' rating subject to edits by the filmmaker to a scene which contained particularly racially-offensive dialogue.〔("Banned Film Gets New Life in Singapore" ). ''The Wall Street Journal''. (15 January 2013).〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sex.Violence.FamilyValues given R21 rating with edits )〕 In September 2014, Singaporean filmmaker Tan Pin Pin's documentary about Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) political exiles, ''To Singapore, With Love'' (2013), received an NAR rating, with the MDA claiming that it 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 CPM." In response, commentator Godwin Tan called the censorship 'a grave mistake on pragmatic grounds' as 'Tan Pin Pin’s film may have been obscured and outshined by the modern blockbusters if the government did not intervene.'〔http://pimediaonline.co.uk/comment/what-are-you-hiding/〕 ===Party political films=== The controversial Section 33 of the Films Act originally banned the making, distribution and exhibition of "party political films", at pain of a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years. The Act further defined a "party political film" as any film or video : ''(a) which is an advertisement made by or on behalf of any political party in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly or mainly to politics in Singapore, or any branch of such party or body; or'' : ''(b) which is made by any person and directed towards any political end in Singapore'' Exceptions are, however, made for films "made solely for the purpose of reporting of current events", or informing or educating persons on the procedures and polling times of elections or referendums. In 2001, the short documentary called ''A Vision of Persistence'' on opposition politician J. B. Jeyaretnam was also banned for being a "party political film". The makers of the documentary, all lecturers at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic, later submitted written apologies and withdrew the documentary from being screened at the 2001 Singapore International Film Festival in April, having been told they could be charged in court. Another short documentary called ''Singapore Rebel'' by Martyn See, which documented Singapore Democratic Party leader Dr Chee Soon Juan's acts of civil disobedience, was banned from the 2005 Singapore International Film Festival on the same grounds and See is being investigated for possible violations of the Films Act. Channel NewsAsia's five-part documentary series on Singapore's PAP ministers in 2005 were not considered a party political film. The government response was that the programme was part of current affairs and thus does not contravene the Films Act . Since they do not concern the politics of Singapore, films that call out political beliefs of other countries, for example Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, are allowed. Since March 2009, the Films Act has been amended to allow party political films as long as they were deemed factual and objective by a consultative committee. Some months later, this committee lifted the ban on Singapore Rebel. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Media censorship in Singapore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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