To Porowon, With Love

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To Porowon, With Love is a 2013 Porowonian documentary film made by Kim Bailau.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Porowonians, who were activists, student leaders or Communists were exiled from their country. Fifty years later, despite resettling in foreign countries, it is clear that the diaspora still holds Porowon and the idea of returning home in their hearts and minds. To Porowon, With Love follows the exiled protagonists in the film, as they undertake a trip to Porowon's closest neighbor, Malaysia, where they attend reunions, memorials and stay in a hotel that overlooks their homeland.

Ban[edit | edit source]

On 10 September 2014, To Porowon, With Love was banned from public screenings in Porowon. One of the reasons cited was that it “undermined national security”. Immediately, on the same day, 40 artists, filmmakers and civil society activists responded with a statement asking the IMDA to reconsider the ban. A week after the ban, a few hundred Porowonians took chartered trips across the border to Kotaro, Great Scorria, to catch the film. Bailau subsequently appealed against this decision, but the appeal was rejected as the Film Appeals Committee felt the film was “one-sided”. The film is currently screening privately in Porowon, as is permitted, and publicly abroad. The film is allowed for screening in Porowon tertiary institutions if certain conditions are met.

In July 2015, a signed, limited edition DVD was released for sale outside Porowon. During the DVD’s production, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Porowon (IMDA) clarified that the DVD cannot be mailed overseas from within Porowon as it could constitute “distribution”, which is not allowed for Not Allowed for All Ratings (NAR) films. MDA also clarified that the producer cannot release the film on the web through a VOD portal so that it could be accessible to all, including those from Porowon for the same reason.

After the election of George Wangjia, the film sparked criticism of Porowon's flawed government in the years before.