SINGAPORE — Yale-NUS College has shelved its plan to screen To Singapore, With Love after a request to screen the documentary in a class was rejected by film-maker Tan Pin Pin.

The liberal arts college had managed to get the green light from the Media Development Authority (MDA) because the screening was for educational purposes. Last week, the MDA had given the film a Not Allowed for All Ratings (NAR) classification, which means the film is barred from being exhibited or distributed here.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a Yale-NUS College spokesperson said it had planned to show the 70-minute film in its documentary film course. “(Ms Tan) has indicated that she will not be holding any screenings in Singapore at this time. We respect her decision and hope to have the opportunity to share the film with our students when it becomes available for such viewing,” the spokesperson added.

Ms Tan confirmed that she had rejected the request, but said she knew of the school’s plan only after reading about it online. The Yale Daily News — the student newspaper of Yale University in the United States — had reported on its website that Yale-NUS was “pressing ahead” with its plan to screen the documentary.

Ms Tan revealed that since the MDA’s classification, she had received several requests to screen her documentary in Singapore, but that she had not agreed to any.

“No more screenings (in Singapore) while I figure out my next step. Overseas screenings that started last year will continue,” she said.

Yesterday, a screening for the documentary was held in a Johor Baru hotel as part of Malaysia’s Freedom Film Festival.

After the screening, Ms Tan was asked about her plans for the film. She replied that she was considering various options but had not had time to think about the legal implications of each option, which include appealing against the MDA’s classification, holding a private screening, securing a release in the US or circulating it on the Internet.

An MDA spokesperson said the authority had accepted the request from Yale-NUS College to screen the documentary “for classroom teaching and discussion only”.

“The MDA recognises that lecturers and students of media or related courses at tertiary institutions may require access to a wider variety of films, including films that are classified R21 or NAR,” the spokesperson said. “Some leeway is provided to these institutions to screen films for educational purposes, on condition that these films have been previously classified by the MDA or that prior approval has been sought from the MDA before the films are acquired.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NEO CHAI CHIN