'The Assassin(s)' Opens Singapore Film Festival Despite Korean Backlash

'The Assassin(s)' opened the 37th Singapore International Film Festival on Wednesday with a gala screening at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands, according to Variety. Director Hur Jin-ho thanked the festival for protecting artistic freedom and freedom of expression in cinema.

SGIFF chair Boo Junfeng said the festival operates a no-cut policy and refuses to show censored films. He said organisers received many messages from a group in South Korea pressing them to cancel the screening, as well as notes of support. Boo added that SGIFF sees the film as an artistic interpretation of historical events and stands by its decision to open with it.

The screening follows a campaign by the conservative opposition. On Oct. 6, the People Power Party wrote to SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua on behalf of all 109 of its lawmakers asking the festival to reverse the selection. In an Oct. 7 statement, SGIFF said the film had been chosen through its independent curatorial process for its artistic merit and contribution to contemporary Asian cinema.

'The Assassin(s)' opened in Korea on Sept. 23. In a Sept. 28 statement, the film's producers said no specific individual is defined in the film as being behind the incident and that its hypotheses are not presented as historical fact.

The controversy also reached Busan. The Busan International Film Festival called off a career talk with Lee Min-ho, and distributor Hive Media Corp. pulled the cast and crew from all Busan appearances on safety grounds. A former People Power Party Seoul city councilor asked police to investigate Hur, Hive Media CEO Kim Won-kuk and the film's two writers for defamation.