NOTES FROM SERANGOON ROAD

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/

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section 33 FILM ACT

33. Any person who ‹

(a) imports any party political film;

(b) makes or reproduces any party political film;

(c) distributes, or has in his possession for the purposes of distributing,
to any other person any party political film; or

(d) exhibits, or has in his possession for the purposes of exhibiting, to
any other person any party political film,

knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the film to be a party
political film shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on
conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding 2 years.

“party political film” means a film ‹

(a) which is an advertisement made by or on behalf of any political party
in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly or mainly to politics
in Singapore, or any branch of such party or body; or

(b) which is made by any person and directed towards any political end in
Singapore;

(2) For the purposes of this Act, a film is directed towards a political end
in Singapore if the film ‹

(a) contains wholly or partly any matter which is intended or likely to
affect voting in any election or national referendum in Singapore; or

(b) contains wholly or partly either partisan or biased references to or
comments on any political matter, including but not limited to any of the
following:

(i) an election or a national referendum in Singapore;

(ii) a candidate or group of candidates in an election;

(iii) an issue submitted or otherwise before electors in an election or a
national referendum in Singapore;

(iv) the Government or a previous Government or the opposition to the
Government or previous Government;

(v) a Member of Parliament;

(vi) a current policy of the Government or an issue of public controversy in
Singapore; or

(vii) a political party in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly
or mainly to politics in Singapore, or any branch of such party or body.

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(3) For the avoidance of doubt, any film which is made solely for the
purpose of ‹

(a) reporting of current events; or

(b) informing or educating persons on the procedures and polling times for
any election or national referendum in Singapore,

is not a party political film.

Exemptions
40. ‹(1) This Act shall not apply to ‹

(a) any film sponsored by the Government;

(b) any film, not being an obscene film or a party political film or any
feature, commercial, documentary or overseas television serial film, which
is made by an individual and is not intended for distribution or public
exhibition; and

(c) any film reproduced from local television programmes and is not
intended for distribution or public exhibition.

[10/98]

(2) The Minister may, subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, exempt
any person or class of persons or any film or class of films from all or any
of the provisions of this Act.

(3) An exemption granted under this section may be withdrawn at any time.

Search and seizure of unlawful films

34. ‹(1) Any Deputy or Assistant Commissioner of Police, Assistant
Superintendent of Police or any Censor, Deputy or Assistant Censor or
Inspector of Films, if satisfied upon written information and after such
further inquiry as he thinks necessary that any person has in his possession
any obscene film or party political film, may without warrant, with such
assistance and by such force as is necessary, by night or by day, enter and
search any place where he has reason to believe the film is kept, seize the
film and any equipment used in the exhibition, making or reproduction of the
film and take into custody any person reasonably believed to be in
possession thereof.

(2) Any film, and any equipment used in the exhibition, making or
reproduction of the film, in respect of which any person has been convicted
under section 29, 30, 31 or 33 shall be forfeited and shall be destroyed or
otherwise disposed of in such manner as the Minister may direct.