Singaporean filmmaker Jason Soo says he is under police investigation over remarks after film screening

Update: Responding to queries from TOC, the Singapore Police Force said information related to police investigations is confidential and it would therefore not comment on the matter. SINGAPORE: Singaporean filmmaker Jason Soo said he is under police investigation following remarks made after a documentary screening earlier this month. The investigation relates to comments delivered after a public screening of Al Awda on 13 December. Soo disclosed the development in a Facebook post published on 24 December. He said the Singapore Police Force contacted him on 23 Dec, informing him that a complaint had been lodged regarding his post-screening remarks. According to Soo, the police told him that the complaint concerned statements made during a discussion session following the screening of Al Awda, a documentary he directed. The film chronicles a 2018 Gaza flotilla mission aimed at breaking Israel’s maritime blockade. Soo stated that officers informed him he is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code. He said he has been asked to attend a police interview as part of the probe. Section 298 criminalises deliberate acts intended to wound the religious or racial feelings of any person. The offence carries penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, and is aimed at preserving racial and religious harmony.

Filmmaker responds to investigation

Commenting publicly on the matter, Soo said peaceful expression on political and humanitarian issues should not be suppressed through complaints. He added that he does not accept such expression should be silenced. Soo said he intends to continue advocating for what he described as a just future for Palestine. He also referred to international sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa as a historical precedent for civil action. "Just as international sanctions helped to end apartheid in South Africa, all of us can join the BDS movement and help put an end to settler-colonialism, apartheid, occupation and genocide. " "As Francesca Albanese said, "When governments betray the most basic human values, it is upon us to fix it. We, the people."" Soo wrote. 

About the documentary Al Awda

Al Awda, meaning “The Return”, documents a high-risk mission by 22 activists attempting to reach Gaza by sea in 2018. The vessel was part of an international flotilla seeking to challenge the blockade. Among those on board was Singaporean exile Dr Ang Swee Chai. Soo was also present on the vessel and recorded footage during the journey. The documentary draws from material that survived the boat’s detention by the Israeli navy. It depicts the activists’ preparations, rehearsals, and discussions leading up to their interception. The film was first screened at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2024.