Films (Film Content Assessor) Regulations 2019

No. S 344

Films Act

(CHAPTER 107)

Films
(Film Content Assessor)
Regulations 2019

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 41(1) of the Films Act, the Minister for Communications and Information makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations are the Films (Film Content Assessor) Regulations 2019 and come into operation on 29 April 2019.

Definitions

2.  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“exhibitor” includes the organiser of an event at which a film is being or is to be publicly exhibited;

“film” excludes a video game;

“official language” means Malay, Mandarin, Tamil or English;

“political office-holder” means —

(a) the President;

(b) the Prime Minister;

(c) a Minister or a Minister of State;

(d) a Parliamentary Secretary or a Political Secretary; or

(e) the Speaker of Parliament or a Deputy Speaker of Parliament;

“subtitle” includes closed or open captioning.

Maximum permitted classification rating

3.  For the purposes of sections 19(1)(b) and 20(2)(b) of the Act, the maximum permitted classification rating is the classification rating “PG13”.

Special reporting duties

4.—(1)  A film content assessor must report to the Authority without delay every request made to him or her to classify, or to advise on the likely classification, of any of the following films:

(a) a film containing —

(i) any dialogue or commentary about or reference to (expressly or impliedly) any political, racial or religious issue (whether or not relating to Singapore), or an issue of public controversy in Singapore;

(ii) any religious teaching or instruction;

(iii) any portrayal or depiction of, any dialogue or commentary on or reference to (expressly or impliedly), any candidate at an election, any political party, any election, any referendum in Singapore, or any current or former Member of Parliament or political office‑holder, whether that candidate, Member of Parliament or political office‑holder is in Singapore or elsewhere; or

(iv) a portrayal, depiction or mention of, or any dialogue or commentary about, triads or unlawful gangs which relate to Singapore or any ritual or ceremony connected with such triads or gangs;

(b) a film intended for public exhibition at an event wholly or mainly involving the screening or display of films, such as a film festival;

(c) a film that contains dialogue or commentary (in whole or part) in a Chinese dialect other than Mandarin and is intended for public exhibition;

(d) a film that is intended for public exhibition other than in a cinema.

(2)  A report under paragraph (1) must —

(a) be made before viewing and assessing the content of the film for the purpose of classifying the film’s content, or before advising on the likely classification of the film’s content;

(b) contain —

(i) the title or proposed title of the film;

(ii) the maker of the film or proposed film;

(iii) the distributor or exhibitor, or proposed distributor or proposed exhibitor (if any), of the film or proposed film; and

(iv) the place or event or both at which the film or proposed film is intended to be publicly exhibited; and

(c) be made in English and in the form and manner specified by the Authority.

(3)  A film content assessor who has made a report under paragraph (1) about a film must not start —

(a) any work for the purpose of classifying the film’s content; or

(b) advising on the likely classification of the film’s content,

until the film content assessor receives the Authority’s confirmation that the film content assessor may start doing so.

General reporting duties

5.—(1)  A film content assessor must report to the Authority every film the contents of which he or she has viewed, assessed and classified.

(2)  A report under paragraph (1) must —

(a) contain —

(i) the title or proposed title of the film;

(ii) the maker of the film or proposed film;

(iii) the distributor or exhibitor, or proposed distributor or proposed exhibitor (if any), of the film or proposed film; and

(iv) the place or event or both at which the film or proposed film is intended to be publicly exhibited;

(b) set out the classification rating assigned by the film content assessor and his or her reasons for arriving at that decision; and

(c) be made in English and in the form and manner specified by the Authority.

Language competency requirement

6.—(1)  A film content assessor must not classify, or advise on the likely classification of, any film that contains wholly or mainly a dialogue or commentary in a Chinese dialect unless —

(a) the film content assessor is able to speak that dialect with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him or her to assess the content of the film for the purposes of classifying the film; and

(b) if there are subtitles translating that dialogue or commentary into an official language, the film content assessor is also able to speak, read and write in that official language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him or her to classify the film.

(2)  For a film containing mainly a dialogue or commentary in a language other than a Chinese dialect, a film content assessor must not classify, or advise on the likely classification of, such a film unless —

(a) if the dialogue or commentary is in an official language, the film content assessor is able to speak, read and write in that official language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him or her to assess the content of the film for the purposes of classifying the film, and regardless of any subtitles in any language; or

(b) if the dialogue or commentary is not in an official language —

(i) there are subtitles in an official language; and

(ii) the film content assessor is able to speak, read and write in that official language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him or her to assess the film for the purposes of classifying the film.

7.  [Deleted by S 191/2023 wef 07/04/2023]

Made on 22 April 2019.

YONG YING-I

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Communications
and Information,
Singapore.

[MCI K01.002.001.V4; AG/LEGIS/SL/107/2015/9 Vol. 1]