SINGAPORE, June 23 — The Singapore government will adopt a more “flexible approach” toward the screening of dialect films in cinemas, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) announced on Monday.

The shift comes amid a surge of public interest in Chinese dialects, sparked by the massive box-office success of Dear You. While the film is screened commercially in Mandarin, its original Teochew version has become a cultural lightning rod, triggering a wider conversation about identity and heritage in the city-state, CNA reported.

Under the current framework, distributors must apply for permission to screen films in dialects. However, the ministry confirmed that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will now be more lenient in reviewing these applications.

“We hear the calls for dialect films to be more freely screened in cinemas,” the ministry stated.

The demand for Dear You has been staggering. An initial eight Teochew screenings at Golden Village were fully booked almost instantly, prompting the cinema chain to add eight more sessions from June 25 to 29. All 4,800 tickets for these additional slots vanished within an hour of going on sale.

Clover Films, the movie's distributor, has already moved to capitalise on this momentum. Following the MDDI statement, the company submitted a third request to the IMDA, seeking approval for up to 50 Teochew screenings in the coming weeks.

“From the outset, our intention has been to make Dear You in Teochew available as widely as possible in Singapore,” said Lim Teck, managing director of Clover Films. While current screenings are concentrated at Golden Village VivoCity, Lim hopes to expand these to suburban locations to make the film accessible to a broader audience.

Directed and co-written by Lan Hongchun, Dear You is a global hit, grossing over 1.7 billion yuan (US$250 million) in China. The plot weaves together two timelines: a grandson’s search for his grandfather in present-day Thailand and a man’s migration from China to Southeast Asia in the 1940s.

The government's pivot reflects a delicate balancing act. For decades, Singapore has promoted Mandarin as a unifying official language to bridge the gap between various dialect groups. The MDDI maintained that this objective remains relevant today.

However, the ministry acknowledged that dialects are an indispensable part of the national fabric.

“Dialects are an important part of Singapore’s cultural heritage. They carry rich traditions, stories and ways of expression, and help many Singaporeans maintain a connection to their cultural roots,” the ministry said, noting a growing interest in dialects among younger generations.

The government currently supports dialect use through Mediacorp programming for seniors and the dissemination of essential public information. Moving forward, the MDDI said it will continue to engage industry stakeholders and review its approach to ensure dialects remain a valued part of Singapore’s identity.