THE CICAK.com

Snipper-happy censorship board

By POH SI TENG
Photos by OMAR VEGA

Director Woo Ming Jin

Malaysian filmmakers at the San Francisco International Film Festival took a swipe at the Malaysian Censorship Board’s snipper-happy attitude and inconsistent policies.

“Censorship in Malaysia is really arbitrary. They don’t have guidelines,� said budding Malaysian independent filmmaker Woo Ming Jin. “It’s totally, totally moronic.�

If Ah Kau doesn’t like a certain part of the movie, he will censor it. Ah Beng will later suggest that changes be made to scene B. And if Ali is appalled by scene B, he could have the whole film banned altogether, Woo said.

The board’s heavy-handed stance on hacking-off scenes containing elements – some, merely suggestive – of violence, horror, sex, politics and religion has made filmmakers like Woo very careful. His latest feature film, Monday Morning Glory, a tongue-in-cheek take on terrorism and police brutality in Southeast Asia, epitomises precaution.

When watching Woo’s film, viewers instantly assume that the wooden shanties are Malaysian kampung houses. They will also not mistake Kuala Lumpur Sentral commuter train hub for one of Singapore’s Mass Rapid Trail transit stations. In addition, the spoken language in the movie is distinctively Malay, and not Indonesian.

It looks and sounds like Malaysia. But Woo argues that it’s not.

“The reason why I made the movie countryless was because I knew if I made the movie set in Malaysia, it would never be released in Malaysia,� he said, adding that the non-specific location could also help him reach a wider foreign market.

Censorship in the local mainstream and independent film industry took centre-stage at the “Malaysian Cinema: A New Independence� discussion panel on May 1. Foreign cinema lovers and a contingent of politically conscious Malaysians living in the San Francisco Bay Area communed at the Kabuki Theatre for the event.

Many Malaysians who supported the screenings were unhappy with the censorship board’s oppressive regulations.

“It’s one of the many things that we suck at and can improve,� said Tan Yuen-Lin, 23, coordinator for the Malaysia Forum Conference at Stanford that promotes civic consciousness.

“It’s very arbitrary, not accessible to public debate, and made by people on the board who aren’t representative of Malaysian society,� he said, adding that there are only two to three non-Malays in a 60 member panel of censors, and where 90 percent are above age 45.

It is difficult for the art scene to emerge under such circumstances.

“To move the arts you have to step away and let the artists work. I don’t believe in censorship in any form, and whatsoever means,� said Malaysian and long-time Bay Area resident Brian Hew.

Artistic expression being confined by restrictive conservatism is not new. Filmmakers in Iran, Thailand and China have long faced stricter censors and harsher regulations, yet managed to produce incredible cinematic masterpieces.

Asian film specialist Roger Garcia said, “Filmmaking reflects the society. And if the society has censorship, and if there’s something you want to say, then there are different ways of saying it. It depends on how good you are.�

No doubt a bleak subject, Malaysian panelists at the film festival spoke of censorship as a matter-of-fact way of life that many artists in the industry face.

Malaysian directors Amir Muhammad, Woo Ming Jin, Saw Teong Hin and Deepak Kumaran Menon at the San Francisco International Film Festival

Director Saw Teong Hin amused audiences when he said laughingly, “It’s a bit taboo to expose shoulders and armpits in Malaysia.�

He told the crowd that he was worried when Puteri Gunung Ledang had to go through the board, as there was controversy about Muslim actress Tiara Jacquelina portraying a Hindu princess. To his bewilderment, the movie was approved without any hitches.

Adversely, director Deepak Kumaran Menon said he had no qualms about letting the censors review his movie, The Gravel Road.

“They didn’t understand my film, so it went through (the board) 100 percent. It’s in Tamil,� he said, sending the audience bawling with laughter.

In addition to such irregularities, the filmmakers also revealed some insider tips on how to avoid the scrutiny of the censorship board.

Instead of watching Malaysian independent films in wide-screen cinemas, independent moviebuffs will have to be content with vacant assembly halls. They will be asked to make donations, as opposed to purchasing tickets.

With this, filmmakers would not require a permit from authorities, said director Amir Muhammad. He also said that if filmmakers continued to create a fuss, like they did for Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet, the board would eventually listen.

“They’re loosening up,� said Menon as more films are being approved. “You can actually sit down and talk, and eventually they might give in. It’s improving stage by stage.�

However, not everyone is as optimistic. Woo for one, is exasperated.

Although Monday Morning Glory has already been screened abroad, its fate in Malaysia remains uncertain. The movie has yet to go through the censorship experience.

“I don’t want to think about it. It’s not important to me. It’ll just get me pissed off,� he said. “My nature is to nuke it out with them. I’m a resilient guy.�

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POH SI TENG is the director and managing editor of theCICAK. An edited version of this article originally appeared in The Star. View her site.

OMAR VEGA is the photo editor of theCICAK.