A Change From “No-Edits”

The "Classify All-Content" policy was introduced in August 2008, and it replaced the “No-Edits” policy.

Under the “No-Edits” policy, where only videos in their original content were classified and allowed for sale in Singapore.  Original content is defined as the full video titles released by studios and producers, which have not been edited.

The “No-Edits” Policy was implemented as part of the larger video classification guidelines, following a 2004 review of censorship objectives and principles in view of social and technological trends. It was suitable at the time, when there were few submissions of edited video titles from different regions.

Since then, there have been more submissions of such edited titles. Taking into account industry feedback, the BFC did a review of the initiative.

Different Versions Allowed

Under the “Classify All-Content” policy, the Board of Film Censors (BFC) will classify videos according to their content.

The “Classify All-Content” policy allows different versions of the same title, including those that have been edited, to be made available in the market. In this instance, edited versions refer to titles that have had edits made to the film based on their country region and/or the classification requirements made by the country’s regulatory board. For example, the film Hell Monster may have edits made to scenes of violence for a foreign market and eventually imported into Singapore. This imported version of Hell Monster is considered an edited version and the BFC will classify the title based on its contents.

With the “Classify All-Content” policy, video distributors will also have the flexibility to bring in videos from different regions, allowing them to cater to various market segments and age groups through offering different versions of the same title.

Any reduction and/or changes to content will be reflected as an “Edited Version” in the consumer advice, which is to be displayed on the packaging.