CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 6.41 p.m.

The Minister for Communications and Acting Minister for Culture (Mr Ong Teng Cheong): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Cinematograph Films Act came into force on 8th January, 1954, and some of its provisions are already outdated. The Bill now before the House seeks to update its provisions to meet the changing needs of present circumstances. I will, however, touch only on the more important amendments.

The definition of "film" has been widened to include cassette films, video tapes and video records which are widely used nowadays as media of entertainment. As films are increasingly made available for sale or rent to the public for home viewing, their distribution needs to be controlled. It is proposed to widen the scope of the Act to cover the exhibition as well as the distribution of films.

It is proposed to amend section 9 of the Act to prevent film exhibitors or distributors from presenting the films for censorship after having removed the objectionable parts, and upon approval, restoring them for public viewing.

All films intended for exhibition in Singapore have to be submitted for censorship. However, section 14 of the present Act provides that a film is deemed to be exhibited when it is projected in the presence of eight or more persons, including the operator. In order to plug this loophole of uncensored films of undesirable nature being shown in groups of less than eight persons, it is proposed to amend section 14 so that no uncensored film is allowed to be shown in the presence of any person, including the operator, except to show them to buyers, exhibitors or their agents or for the purpose of manufacture or censorship.

The Bill also requires all advertisements of films for exhibition or distribution to be approved by the Board of Film Censors.

The Bill seeks to exclude from its ambit films which are reproduced from local television programmes, or reproduction of any feature, commercial or documentary films, made by an individual for his own private use.

Penalties for contravening provisions of the Act have also been increased generally.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Ong Teng Cheong].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.