Hur Jin-ho Opens Singapore Film Festival, Thanks SGIFF for Defending Free Expression

· Entertainment · Singapore · South Korea

South Korean director Hur Jin-ho thanked the Singapore International Film Festival for defending freedom of expression as his political thriller 'The Assassin(s)' opened the festival's 37th edition on Wednesday. The opening came two weeks after a conservative opposition group in Korea asked SGIFF to pull the film. SGIFF chair Boo Junfeng said the festival refuses to show anything that has been censored, according to Variety. Hur said he was truly grateful for the festival's stance. The episode places a major Asian festival at the center of a dispute over programming and political pressure, and it comes as film festivals increasingly position themselves as venues for work that faces objections in other markets.

Why it matters：Festivals are becoming battlegrounds over censorship and political pressure, and how SGIFF handles the dispute could shape which films programmers are willing to book.

Key points

  • 'The Assassin(s)' opened the 37th Singapore International Film Festival.
  • A conservative opposition group in Korea asked SGIFF to pull the film two weeks earlier.
  • SGIFF chair Boo Junfeng said the festival refuses to show censored content.

Sources (original reporting)

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