Industry starts petition amid gov’t reminder on appropriate contents in artworks

The local cultural industry has started a petition calling for a meeting with the government to clarify grant guidelines.

Last week, certain industry practitioners claimed via social media that they had received notes from the Cultural Development Fund, which reminded them of the importance of staging “appropriate content.” Failure to do so may result in the revocation of approved grants.

Pursuant to the guidelines, the detail of such content includes but is not limited to, indecency, violence, pornography, obscenity, gambling, foul language, innuendo, and the violation of the rights of others.

The note reportedly stated the Fund had reminded grant recipients to “cautiously and reasonably plan and organize subsidized activities or projects.”

The guidelines concerned grants for the 2023 fiscal year, the applications for which ended in November 2022. The validity of this year’s grants was extended to the end of March next year, in consideration of constraints arising after post-Covid normalization.

Although the industry assumes this as a reminder after the saga that affected local online platform Manner Culture Enterprises Ltd., the industry was surprised, if not panicked, to see the reminder, fearing the government may have set itself up in a censorship trap.

In response, about 100 practitioners have signed a petition letter, calling for a meeting with the management of the Fund to “better understand the Fund’s concerns over ‘inappropriate content,’ and to explore how to protect members of the audience while maintaining creative freedom.”

In addition, the practitioners said Macau already has an entity for the classification of publicly screened or performed works. They called for the Fund to respect the classification entity.

What the industry also finds important is that the portrayal of “inappropriate content” is not for encouragement purposes. On the contrary, they are included to explore social phenomena, cultural values and human experience.

Comments on social media have expressed fear humorously that works by Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow, Bruce Lee and Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution would fail to pass the screening for grants.

Audience members feeling disturbed

On the sidelines of the National Day Reception, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong was asked about the reminder and the petition. She said the reminder was prompted by some audience members who reported to the Fund they were “feeling disturbed” after viewing some subsidized performances.

Ao Ieong said the reminder was issued solely in response to the audience’s opinions received by the Fund and that no additional restrictions have been implemented.

In response to questions about how the Fund defines “inappropriate content,” the senior official said the Fund does not encourage or desire projects filled entirely with foul language or indecent actions.

She said the Fund has not tightened its restrictions.

“Provided that a piece of proposed work complies with laws, regulations and concerned guidelines, our attitude towards granting subsidies is quite broad,” Ao Ieong said.

She also said there is no blacklist, emphasizing that the performances about which some audience members had expressed comments were not blacklisted.

Pursuant to item 21.3.2 of the guidelines, should any subsidized projects violate any restrictions stated therein and have their grants revoked, the beneficiaries will be included in a “frozen list,” and will be banned from applying for grants for a year.