Singapore International Film Festival keeps The Assassin(s) as opening title
The Singapore International Film Festival will screen Hur Jin-ho's The Assassin(s) as its opening film on October 21 despite pressure from South Korea's People Power Party.
Festival defends curatorial choice
Organisers stated the selection followed an independent process focused on artistic merit. They noted that the filmmakers described the work as a fictional story mixing real events with invented characters. The festival confirmed it would screen the title without changing its content.
Political party demands withdrawal
All 109 lawmakers of South Korea's conservative People Power Party wrote to the event asking for immediate removal. Their letter expressed deep regret regarding the choice and urged the organizers to reverse the decision. The group argued the film distorts history by portraying a real assassination attempt on former president Park Chung-hee.
Box office performance data
Korean Film Council records show the movie has reached roughly 2.5 million admissions domestically. Seat occupancy rates hovered around 47 percent during the recent Chuseok holiday period. The film previously premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before arriving in Singapore.
All 2 outlets report consistently
No differences in figures, names or dates across these reports.
- Variety
- South China Morning Post
Reported by
2 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.