Overview
- The Infocomm Media Development Authority initially cleared Dear You only in a Mandarin-dubbed version for general cinemas while allowing full-dialect screenings at festivals, prompting public protest.
- Strong audience demand forced commercial action when Golden Village added eight Teochew sessions and sold all tickets within about 90 minutes.
- The Ministry of Digital Development and Information said it is willing to support additional Teochew screenings and announced that IMDA will take a more flexible approach to applications for dialect films.
- Filmmakers, commentators and some Members of Parliament have pressed for loosening limits on dialects in media, while linguists argue that exposure to dialects does not impede Mandarin learning and can help reconnect older Singaporeans with heritage.
- The episode highlights a longer history: the Speak Mandarin Campaign steered past policy to promote Mandarin and, since 1980, household use of Chinese dialects has plunged, leaving local dialects with little intergenerational transmission.