• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
  • zh-hans 简体中文
  • en English
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Filmmaker questions delay in censorship board rating of film about elderly poor in Singapore

"For the first time, the inside story of welfare recipients struggling in our anti-welfare state of Singapore is detailed visually," said Tan Biyun

by kathleen
16/11/2020
in Arts & Culture, Social Justice
Reading Time: 2min read
19

The Singapore International Film Festival will be premiering a local film called ‘Citizen Hustler’ by filmmaker Tan Biyun next month.

Unfortunately, the film–slated to be aired for the first time on 5 December–has yet to receive a rating from the Board of Film Censors.

Cultural researcher and educator Wong Chee Ming (better known as Z’ming Cik online) highlighted this in a Facebook post on Sunday (15 Nov), asking if the topic of the aged poor is so “sensitive” in Singapore that the censorship board has to drag its feet in the approval process.

The post then included a quote from Ms Tan directly stating that it has been about two months of pending approval–yet the censorship board is still unable to give the film a rating.

Noting that the film doesn’t have nudity and only has one swear word–“the usual one worder to express frustration”–the filmmaker wonders if maybe it’s the ‘violence’ in the film that has caused the rating delay.

“My film documents a maverick old couple who was first evicted from the street market and lost their livelihood in their 60s (economic violence?), and when they turned to social welfare, they faced a wall of bureaucracy and language barriers,” said Ms Tan.

She adds that the plight of the aged poor is not unheard of in Singapore, with mainstream news featuring the elderly who work as cleaners, dishwashers, ice cream sellers and other poorly paying jobs.

“Even the struggles of social welfare recipients have gained exposure in the news, though I note with interest that, often, these news articles end with the recipients expressing their gratitude to the government even as they said that the monthly payout (ranging from $450 to 850) was not enough to live in our very expensive Singapore,” she added.

The artist said the subjects of her film are not the “docile types”.

“They expressed their anger and frustrations quite vociferously. They refused to just sit at home and keep the expenses down. They continued to sell their goods illegally (according to the state’s regulations) and go after every possible official scheme for additional help,” she says, adding that they want to live well, like all upwardly mobile Singaporeans.

The filmmaker notes that the inside story of welfare recipients “struggling in our anti-welfares state of Singapore” is detailed visually for the first time. While admitting that it is “not a pretty sight”, Ms Tan adds, “…this story is going to be repeated not only in the bodies of aged poor but also hollowed out middle class families as we live in an increasingly precarious world.”

“For crying out loud, can the censorship board move it quickly? This story is dying to be told,” she plead.

Watch an excerpt of Citizen Hustler:

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • UN rights office says at least 18 killed in Myanmar crackdown
  • Water cannon, tear gas at protest outside Thai PM’s residence
  • Philippines receives first COVID-19 vaccines from China
  • Hong Kong police charge dozens of dissidents with security crime
  • Global Times: China and SG conduct joint naval exercise in South China Sea to ‘address risks’
  • 11 new cases of COVID-19 infection in S’pore; 1 case in migrant workers dorm

Trending posts

Global Times: China and SG conduct joint naval exercise in South China Sea to ‘address risks’

Desmond Lee highlights young couple received full $80K HDB grant; Grant means their combined salary is less than $1.5K

Kranji woodland saga: Former HDB deputy CEO says wrong to push responsibility to contractors

Man fined for leaving car “unattended” as he helped son with TraceTogether scan for a few seconds

Can LTA and Minister Ong Ye Kung justify why was I summoned for riding my e-scooter on a walkway when every other riders are doing the same?

How can the torture of a human being over 10 months take place under the watch of a police officer?

Load More
November 2020
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« Oct   Dec »
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz
19
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply