Attractive as it may sound, the film festival could present a major conundrum. Allowing in controversial films in as part of the festival could result in both domestic and international objections, while prohibiting these films could reinforce the strictness of controls and show that Singapore is a location where creative media should not set up shop.

This latest announcement marks another thrust in the strategic focus on media that started nearly a decade ago. In its Media 21 plan in 2002, the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts said part of its vision was to become a “Global Media City with a thriving media ecosystem”. Most of the media activity so far has seemed to focus on software and local arts groups. Leaping onto the world stage of films could be the catalyst for further media industry development.

Even as this new phase of the media strategy takes off, though, it’s instructive to look at what has happened in other film festivals around the world.

The Festival de Cannes is perhaps the best-known international film event. From its beginnings as a social event in 1946, Cannes has evolved into an unparalleled place for the glitterati of the movie world, as well as buyers and sellers, to come together to see some of the best new films of the year.

While it is designed as “a showcase of talents with respect of all tastes”, some of those “tastes” have been quite controversial. Last year, for example, the Chinese film Spring Fever included scenes of gay sex and the Iranian film No One Knows About Persian Cats implicitly denounced film and music censorship in the underground music scene in Iran.

The Sundance Film Festival, held in the American state of Utah, while only having started in 1981, has become a renowned venue for independent films. The film Hounddog in 2007 included scenes of the rape of a young girl that the film-maker defended as being central to the story.

The Melbourne International Film Festival has come in for its share of controversy, too. Several Chinese directors pulled out of the festival last year after they learned that The 10 Conditions Of Love, which tells about activist Rebiya Kadeer’s campaign for Uighur independence, would be screened at the festival.

As plans for ScreenSingapore move forward, then, it has the potential to become a beacon for openness – or a symbol of containment. Dancing between the lines of controversy and renown could take some fancy footwork.

If a wide range of films is allowed, including some controversial ones, the festival could become a symbol of how Singapore is open to new ideas and has loosened tight restrictions on the media. That option, though, risks the wrath of a relatively conservative portion of the population and could easily create economic dilemmas if large trading partners objected to certain films.

If Singapore shuts out more controversial films or bans them in light of objections from other governments, however, the decision could well become a symbol of Singapore’s restrictions on the media. Top film-makers and other media industry greats could easily give up on making Singapore the location for their top creative efforts.

A middle road seems unattractive. Simply accepting standard commercial films rather than more creative ones could easily make the festival a mediocre “me-too” event that highlights only commercial interests. It could hardly help in making the festival the place where, in MDA chairman Tan Chin Nam’s words, “sellers and producers will trade content, ideas, expertise and entertainment technology in a vibrant marketplace”.

The announcements so far have been almost entirely commercial, and it’s unclear how open ScreenSingapore will be to controversial film selections. There’s still plenty of time, though, to figure out how to make the best of this new opportunity. The run-up to the opening of ScreenSingapore next June looks to be an exciting time indeed.

The writer is a consultant who has lived in Singapore since 1992