‘Small Hours of the Night,’ Film About Censorship, Banned in Singapore, Pulled From Festival

“Small Hours of the Night,” by Singapore director Daniel Hui, has been removed from the lineup of the Singapore International Film Festival.

The city-state’s authorities have refused the film a release certificate, meaning that it is effectively banned and that the festival cannot go forward with the docu-drama’s planned screening in its Undercurrents section. The festival has made no public statement, but its website shows the film as not available for screening.

In the early years of Singapore’s independence (from the British Empire in 1963 and from Malaysia in 1965), Tan Chay Wa had been an armed activist, possibly a Communist, who rejected the two countries’ separation. By the time that authorities caught up with him in 1976 he was working as a bus driver. He escaped from Singapore, but was caught with a loaded gun in Malaysia and was hanged in 1983.

“Small Hours” involves a real-world court case that followed Tan’s brother’s attempt to follow Tan Chay Wa’s last wishes and have a revolutionary poem inscribed on his grave. The case scandalized the establishment and the brother was jailed for advocating acts prejudicial to the security of Singapore.

“In consultation with the Ministry of Law and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, IMDA has assessed the film to have content that is potentially contrary to the law, i.e. illegal. It would be likely to be prejudicial to national interests to approve it for screening,” said the InfoComm Media Development Authority.

“As the director of this film, the irony does not escape me that a film about censorship is itself being censored. I am of course very disappointed that people all around the world can see this film, but not in Singapore. However, I remain hopeful that one day, we will have a discursive space in Singapore that is gracious and generous enough to include diverse voices and points of view,” said Hui in a statement.

The film had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year, its North American premiere at Doc Fortnight MoMA, its Asian premiere at Taipei International Film Festival, and was most recently screened as part of the Experimenta Strand at the BFI London Film Festival.

It was produced by Tan Bee Thiam and Hui, through 13 Little Pictures with the support of Purin Pictures and White Light Studios. It was first presented as a project at FIDLab 2016 and Berlinale Talents Doc Station 2017. It also received funding from the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation — SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary Grant in 2020, administered by the festival.

Hui’s next project is again to receive funding from Purin Pictures.