Party's film not banned under Act, says MDA

A PAP youth wing video that has gone viral is not banned under the Films Act, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said yesterday in response to media queries on whether the film had been cleared by the authorities, a question netizens had raised on social media.

The Films Act bans the making, import, distribution or screening of a "party political film", but films which meet certain criteria are excluded from this prohibition.

These include films by a licensed broadcaster which report news, films which educate people on election procedures, live recordings and accurate documentaries.

The Young PAP video is exempt under Section 2(3)(f) as it does not have animation or dramatic elements, and is made by a political party and presents its manifesto and ideology, on the basis of which the party's candidates will seek to be elected.

In any case, the video had been submitted to the MDA earlier this year and was given a PG rating, it said.

The MDA consults the independent Political Films Consultative Committee, chaired by former senior district judge Richard Magnus, on whether submitted films are to be considered party political films.

The MDA also gave two examples of past films exempted from the ban: For I Am A Young Singaporean, a PAP short film in the style of a poem highlighting the party's aspirations in 2009; and For People, Nation, Future, which showed the Workers' Party's community outreach initiatives, overlaid with commentary outlining the party's aspirations and ideology in 2010.

This article was published on May 15 in The Straits Times.

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