Not coming to a DVD near you
Anyone living in Singapore who missed R21 films like Saw III or Borat in the cinema isn’t going to be finding these films at the local video store any time soon, according to Channel News Asia (via).
In an email interview with Today, the Media Development Authority (MDA) - which is responsible for film and video classification - revealed that it is taking a “phased approach” to video classification.
According to Cassandra Tay, the MDA’s director of communications, one of the concerns “was the issue of videos with explicit content being accessed by the young.” The MDA is planning to consult all its stakeholders, including the public, before deciding what to do next.
In other words: Hold your horses.
Film classification was introduced in Singapore in 1991 and the arrival of video ratings in 2004 meant that titles up to M18 could be imported for sale and rental. However, two and a half years after implementation, it is still impossible for film buffs to obtain R21 films such as Kill Bill.
“We’ll consider the possibility of allowing R21 titles in due course,” said Tay but she declined to disclose a time frame by which this might take place. Until then, the status quo remains.
Wednesday 21 Mar 2007 | Paul | Singapore
That’s a shame. Borat might be a hit. It is in Kazakhstan: http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/03/12/borat_is_number_one_in_kazakhstan