Valarie Tan, Singapore – A Singapore-made film "Passabe" was recently banned in Indonesia while Eric Khoo's "Be With Me" was disqualified from the Oscars.

Experts say these can only spice things up for Singapore's film industry. "Passabe" is a documentary about a remote village in Timor, home to the worst massacres following an independence vote in 1999. Shot over a year, the film captures the lives of those affected four years on. It features a former militiaman who was forced to kill during the violence.

The filmmakers were invited by the United Nations-backed Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation to document the "Truth Hearings" and efforts at bridging deep divisions in post-conflict East Timor.

But the documentary was banned at last month's Jakarta International Film Festival. Two other films on the same subject were also banned.

"The reason they gave for banning the film was that it would open up old wounds. But in trying to cover up that way, they let the wounds fester. They need to let them air. They need to let people understand what went on at that time," said James Leong, co-director of "Passabe."

"We really wanted to show it in Indonesia. We feel that it's important to show it there. That is where our audience should be," said "Passabe" co-director Lynn Lee. "We've been invited back to the next Jakarta International Film Festival. So hopefully the government will reconsider and allow us to show it there," she said.

Eric Khoo's award-winning "Be With Me" was recently disqualified from running for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars. Organisers said it contained too much English, not considered a foreign language.

But the director said he had intended "Be With Me" to be a silent film. Total dialogue lasted about three minutes in the 90-minute feature. And in most parts, the spotlight was on a deaf and blind woman.

"Whenever we see Theresa Chan, we just read her thoughts. For the Singaporean audience, it has English and Chinese subtitles. Where it's playing now, France, it has French subtitles," said "Be With Me" director Eric Khoo.

But analysts say both incidents are part and parcel of a developing film industry. "I do not view these things as setbacks at all. In fact, I think they are in a way, good things that have happened. It's like applying for a job, attending interviews and finding your footing in the process," said Kenneth Tan, president of the Singapore Film Society.

Golden Village will distribute "Passabe" in Singapore while "Be With Me" is travelling to Korea next.