Entertainment · Film · 3 hrs ago
‘The Assassin(s)’ Opens Singapore Film Festival Despite Calls to Pull It
Hur Jin-ho’s film ‘The Assassin(s)’ opened Singapore’s 37th International Film Festival on Wednesday.
The South Korean director thanked the festival for standing by the film despite pressure to cancel its screening.
South Korea’s People Power Party asked the festival to pull the film, saying it distorts history.
The film is set around the 1974 killing of South Korean first lady Yuk Young-soo, wife of then-President Park Chung-hee.
The film leaves open who was behind the killing, unlike investigators at the time, who blamed gunman Mun Se-gwang and said he was linked to North Korea.
Critics say the ending implicates Park or his government, while the festival says the film is an artistic interpretation, not a statement of historical fact.
The festival says it will show films without cuts, and it kept the screening in its opening-night programme.
South Korean director Hur Jin-ho’s political thriller The Assassin(s) opened the Singapore International Film Festival’s 37th edition on Wednesday.
The festival kept the film in its programme after South Korea’s People Power Party asked it to withdraw the selection.
Festival chair Boo Junfeng said the festival viewed the film as an artistic interpretation of historical events and stood by its decision.
Hur thanked the festival for protecting artistic freedom and freedom of expression in cinema.
The film depicts the 1974 killing of South Korean first lady Yuk Young-soo and does not name a culprit.
- Who
- South Korean director Hur Jin-ho and the Singapore International Film Festival.
- What
- The Assassin(s) opened the festival despite calls from South Korea’s People Power Party to withdraw it.
- When
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
- Where
- Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
- Why
- The festival said it selected the film for its artistic merit and contribution to contemporary Asian cinema, and stood by its curatorial decision.
People Power Party
Singapore International Film Festival
Film’s historical portrayal
People Power Party
The party said the film distorts history and runs counter to public sentiment in South Korea.
Singapore International Film Festival
The festival described it as an artistic interpretation of historical events, not a statement of historical fact.
Screening
People Power Party
The party asked the festival to reverse its selection.
Singapore International Film Festival
The festival kept the film and said it would show it as its makers intended.
The Assassin(s) opened in South Korea.
The People Power Party wrote to SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua, asking the festival to reverse its selection.
The festival said the film had been selected through its independent curatorial process for its artistic merit and contribution to contemporary Asian cinema.
The film opened the SGIFF’s 37th edition at Sands Theatre in Singapore.
- Festival edition
- 37th Singapore International Film Festival
- Screening venue
- Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands
- Film director
- Hur Jin-ho
- Party request
- The People Power Party wrote on behalf of all 109 of its lawmakers
- Survey cited by party
- 58.2% of respondents said the film distorts history
What people are saying
I am truly grateful to the film festival for protecting artistic freedom and the freedom of expression in cinema, and I believe this decision by the festival will give great courage to those of us who made this film, including myself, the staff, and the actors
We have a no-cut policy. We refuse to show anything that has been censored, because we believe films should be seen as their makers had intended, and nothing should alter their vision
SGIFF has carefully considered the various arguments put forth, and we see the film as an artistic interpretation of historical events, and we respect the creative vision of the makers behind it. Therefore, we stand by our decision to have the film as our opening