Image via Wikipedia3-D erotic film remake yet to go before MDA
By Kenny Chee
THE 3-D remake of the 1991 Hong Kong softporn film Sex And Zen still has some way to go before it can be screened here.
The Media Development Authority (MDA) told my paper yesterday that the remake, 3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, "has not been sent to MDA for classification".
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The film was said to open here on April 28, but will first hit Hong Kong screens on April 14.
Said Ms Tan Lee Cheng, MDA's head for Chinese film classification: "We understand that Golden Village, the distributor, is working with the producer to ensure that the film meets the classification standards in Singapore."
A Golden Village spokesman confirmed that "we have not done a formal, official submission of 3D Sex And Zen to MDA yet".
She said: "We are waiting for the completed film we want to show in Singapore to be finalised, before submitting that to MDA for classification."
As a result, she said it was "difficult to gauge" when the film might open here, adding that the April 28 release date was a tentative one that the distributor was working towards. Industry insiders said earlier that 3D Sex And Zen was in the process of being classified by MDA.
This was despite foreign reports which said that the film had a Singapore release date, and that the film-makers had removed more than 18 minutes of explicit scenes to present a "tamer" 110-minute version for markets like Singapore's.
Other versions of the movie reportedly exist, such as a 118-minute one for Hong Kong and a 129- minute director's cut. Golden Village's spokesman said it was uncertain which version of the film would be sent to MDA, or when the submission would be made.
An industry player said it was "quite common" for distributors to submit films to MDA near their release dates, such as two to three weeks before.
She said that the classification process for most films often takes one to two weeks but, for controversial ones, the process could take "a few months", especially if the distributor appeals against a decision made by MDA.
If the process goes way past the film's opening date elsewhere, the distributor would be worried about illegal copies of the movie appearing online, she said.
