Martyn See is a Singaporean filmmaker and the former Executive Secretary of the now defunct Singaporeans for Democracy, a

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

Life and career

See has been a feature editor for local Singaporean films, some of which include ''

Mee Pok Man ''Mee Pok Man'' is a 1995 Singaporean film directed by Eric Khoo. The film is Eric Khoo's debut feature, released under his film production company, Zhao Wei Films, after making award-winning short films for years. It was entered into the 19th ...

'' (1995,

Eric Khoo Eric Khoo Kim Hai (born 27 March 1965) is a Singaporean film director and producer who is often credited for the revival of the Singapore modern film industry. Early life and education Born on 27 March 1965 in Singapore, Eric Khoo was the younge ...

), ''

That One No Enough ''That One No Enough'' (), is a 1999 Singaporean romance comedy film directed by Jack Neo. The film was Neo's directorial debut, not counting '' Hitman in the City'' which was directed for the direct-to-VCD market. Plot White-collar worker Hong ...

'' (1999,

Jack Neo Jack Neo Chee Keong (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean filmmaker, comedian and actor who was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. He established a unique presence with his genuine and relatable stories that highlight societa ...

), '' I Do I Do'' (2005, Wen Hui, Jack Neo), ''Singapore GaGa'' (2005,

Tan Pin Pin Tan Pin Pin (, born 1969) is a Singapore-based film director. She is best known for the documentary film ''Singapore GaGa'' (2005). It was the first Singaporean documentary to have a theatrical run. In 2014, her documentary '' To Singapore, Wit ...

), ''

Just Follow Law ''Just Follow Law'' () is a 2007 Singaporean comedy film directed by Jack Neo. The film also features a sing-along session near to the end of the film and everyone was singing the theme song called ''A Worthy and Useful Person'' (有用的人) from ...

'' (2007, Jack Neo), and ''

Money No Enough 2 ''Money No Enough 2'' () is a 2008 Singaporean comedy film written and directed by Jack Neo and produced by Neo Studios, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Scorpio East Pictures. It is a standalone sequel to the 1998 film '' Money No Enough'', wi ...

'' (2008, Jack Neo). In 2004, See made the 26-minute documentary film ''Singapore Rebel'', about

Chee Soon Juan Chee Soon Juan (born 20 July 1962) is a Singaporean politician, activist, and former lecturer who was appointed Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 1993. Prior to entering politics in 1992, Chee was a lecturer at th ...

, the leader of opposition party

Singapore Democratic Party The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is a social liberal political party in Singapore. Founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, the party gained its first seat in 6th Parliament of Singapore, Parliament in 1984 Singaporean general election, 1984 when ...

(SDP). In March 2005, government movie censors ordered the withdrawal of his film from the

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Simplified Chinese, Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore, founded in 1987. The 35th Singapore International Film Festival took place from 28 Novem ...

. See was put under police investigation by the Singapore government, and threatened with prosecution under the Films Act, requiring him to surrender his video camera, taped footage of the documentary, and materials related to the production. See could face up to two years in jail or a fine of up to S$100,000. In 2006, See made a new 49 minute documentary entitled ''Zahari's'' ''17'' ''Years'', on Singapore's late ex-political prisoner

Said Zahari Said Zahari ( – ) was a Singaporean writer and journalist. He was a former editor-in-chief of the Malay language newspaper '' Utusan Melayu'', and an advocate of unbiased freedom of the press. Although he resided in Malaysia with his family, he ...

, who spent a total of 17 years in detention without trial as a result of

Operation Coldstore Operation Coldstore was the code name for a covert anti-communist security operation that took place in Singapore on 2 February 1963, which was then an internally self-governing state within the British Empire. It led to the arrest of 113 peop ...

, a covert security operation in Singapore. The film has been banned by the Singapore Government. On 14 July 2010, the

Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI; ; zh, 数码发展及新闻部; ) is a ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for overseeing the development of the infocomm technology, ...

banned his latest film, ''Dr Lim Hock Siew'', about

Lim Hock Siew Lim Hock Siew (; 21 February 1931 – 4 June 2012) was a Singaporean politician, political prisoner and medical doctor. Education Lim attended the Rangoon Road School and then the Raffles Institution. Then he studied medicine at the University ...

's similar plight.

References

External links

Martyn See's blog

Amnesty International description of Singapore Rebel issue

Speech Acts – Censorship and Documentary Filmmaking in Singapore
Singaporean film directors Singaporean people of Chinese descent Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Singapore-film-director-stub

Life and career

See also

References

External links