After a banned first film, local director Ken Kwek is getting a wide cinema release

Local film director Ken Kwek has had his share of  red tape after his first film Sex.Violence.FamilyValues was banned in Singapore in 2012. (The ban was lifted after an appeal the following year, but retained an R21 rating.)

But after opening the Singapore International Film Festival in 2014, his second film, Unlucky Plaza, is getting a general release in cinemas islandwide Apr 16. Set in an idyllic and prosperous Singapore, the film examines what happens when the safest city in the world suddenly becomes very dangerous.

The film revolves around a property guru/motivational speaker swimming in debt, his schoolteacher wife who is having an affair with a church pastor and a Filipino immigration mired in a financial ruin and a failing restaurant. Chaos ensues when Onassis takes the other two characters hostage and faces a standoff with police.

The film stars local heavyweights like Adrian Pang, Judee Tan, Guo Liang and Filipino actor Epy Quizon. For more information on the film and screenings, head to their website

And read our 2013 interview with Ken here.