The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has approved 272 screenings of the Teochew version of Dear You and will consider approving more if the film distributor applies for additional screenings to meet audience demand.
Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, shared this in Parliament on Tuesday (July 7) while responding to questions from MPs about IMDA’s decision to screen the Mandarin-dubbed version, instead of its original Teochew version, on account of the Government’s bilingual policy.
“Guidelines on language use in media are implemented by IMDA. They support the Government’s longstanding policy to promote Mandarin as one of four official languages, and have generally served us well,” the senior minister of state said, as he explained the authority’s initial decision.
But he also acknowledged that Singapore’s language environment has evolved, pointing to how IMDA has exercised greater flexibility to allow more dialect content in films each year.
The authority is reviewing the current film classification framework with respect to the use of dialect in films.
Tan cited the examples of Singaporean films 881, Long Long Time Ago, and Wonderland as examples of films which featured the significant use of dialect, but were approved.
He also reiterated the practice that film distributors can apply for additional screenings should they feel that there is audience demand, adding that flexibility will continue to be provided.
Responding to MPs who called for the review of existing guidelines, Tan agreed that there is scope to consider how to expand the space for dialects, while continuing to uphold the importance of Mandarin.
“In doing so, we should also take into account the different media platforms. For example, there are no dialogue restrictions for art performances or content available on the internet and streaming services on free-to-air television and radio.
“We believe that Mandarin should continue to be the mainstay for cinemas. We are prepared to allow more screenings of dialect language films, so as to provide audiences with greater access to such content,” he added.
What happened
The decision to screen the Mandarin-dubbed version of Chinese movie Dear You for general release became a hot topic among Singaporeans, with several film-makers weighing in on the issue.
On June 22, IMDA said it is receptive to facilitating more Teochew-language screenings, if the film distributor wishes to apply for more.
Since then, the additional Teochew screenings have been in demand, with nearly 14,000 tickets from 40 such screenings snapped up in three hours on June 29.
“The enthusiastic response to the Teochew-language screenings of Dear You has been truly heartening,” said Clover Films managing director Lim Teck.
“We hope the film continues to spark conversations across generations and encourages more people to embrace and preserve our culture,” Lim added.
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