Noah is a 2014 USA adventure drama by Darren Aronofsky. With Russell Crowe,
Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins.
Banned in Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, UAE
Bahrain: Banned by the film censor
China : Banned in May 2014
Getting Noah past China's cinematic censors was stymied due to
Beijing's sensitivities on religious issues, according to the Hollywood Reporter trade journal. A source said: This was for religious reasons, though it seems the whole issue was quite complicated.
Indonesia: Banned by the
film censor
Indonesia's film-censorship board has banned Darren Aronofsky's upcoming movie Noah on the grounds that it showed an image of Noah who is considered to be a prophet in the religion of islam.
The chairman of the
censorship board said the story presented in Noah ran counter to the relevant verses in the religious book, the Koran. Mukhlis Paeni said:
There are many considerations. The first thing is the content of Noah is against
our beliefs or not according to the story in the holy book.
Malaysia: Banned by the government film censor
A home ministry official has confirmed that Noah will not be screened in Malaysia. Abdul Halim
Abdul Hamid, chairman of the home ministry's Film Censorship Board, said the decision to ban the film was made about two weeks ago. He said:
Yes, I can confirm that it has been banned by the board, the movie can cause
quite a lot of anger and distress if it is shown in Malaysia.
Abdul Halim said the main reason for the ban was the portrayal of Noah by Crowe, since Islam forbids visual depictions of any prophet.
Qatar : Banned
by the film censor
UAE: Banned
The National Media Council (NMC), the UAE film censor, confirmed that the film had been banned for reasons of religious intolerance. Juma Obaid Al Leem, director of the Media Content Tracking
Department at the NMC said:
The film conflicts with all religions. Out of respect for these religious sentiments, we are banning the film.
Summary Notes
Noah suffers
visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood.
The film was not without censorship concerns in the US. The studio was said to be concerned that the director's version may not go down well with the
religious. However screenings with test audiences did not convince the studio that was a need for change. So the original director's version got the go ahead. However a disclaimer was added to posters to distance the film from religious criticism:
The film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people
worldwide. The biblical story of Noah can be found in the Book of Genesis.
Availability
US: Uncut and MPAA PG-13 rated for:
2014 Paramount (RA) Blu-ray/R1 DVD Combo at US Amazon
Nymphomaniac: Volume I & II is a 2013
Denmark/Belgium/France/Germany/UK mystery drama by Lars von Trier. With Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård and Stacy Martin.
Uncut by UK and US film censors. Exists as a Theatrical Version and a
Director's Cut. The film was banned in Armenia, Romania, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Armenia:
Withdrawn from one cinema after pressure from campaigners
An Armenian film director has denounced today a private cinema theater in Yerevan for cancelling the premier of a scandalous Danish director Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac due to numerous complaints by some citizens and social groups,"
without naming any of them. Cinema Star said its operation was "family-oriented" and to avoid conflicting opinions" about the film it decided to cancel its premier in Yerevan.
Japan: Censored
Not
banned but all the explicit sex has been blurred by Japanese censors.
Romania:
Volume II was banned from public exhibition in January 2014
Unbanned a couple of days later
The news of the ban swept through the European press. The government felt the shame and within a couple of days the film censor was sacked, and the film was unbanned.
Georgica Severin, chairman of the Romanian senate's culture committee
criticised the decision, pointing out the fact that Nymphomaniac: Volume I was already running in the country's cinemas.
Then the Hollywood Reporter said the president of the ratings commission, Cristina Corciovescu, had been dismissed and that the
film's rating had been changed to Romania's version of an 18 certificate. The paper quoted an email from Antoine Bagnaninchi, managing director of Independenta film, which said it was great publicity for the film but very bad for the image of
Romania .
Turkey:
Banned by the film censor in February 2014
Turkey's film board banned the film outright on a vote of six to two that Nymphomaniac be classified as pornography.
The board includes members of Turkey's cultural, interior and education ministries as well as a psychologist and a
sociologist.
This film is in the porn category...because of its explicit sexual scenes, Turkey's cinema general director Cem Erkul told AFP: It also depicts extreme violence against women.
Uzbekistan: Re-banned in
October 2018
Presumably the film was banned at the time of its release, but the ban has been re-iterated in a list of movies banned from Video on Demand on domestic internet services.
Summary Notes
The continuation of Joe's sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman's care.
Availability
UK: The Director's Cut
was passed 18 uncut for strong real sex, very strong language for:
2023 Curzon Film Lars Von Trier A Curzon Collection (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon #ad
2015 Artificial Eye [Part 1 + Part 2 Director's Cut] (RB) Blu-ray at UK
Amazon released on 11th May 2015
2015 Artificial Eye [Part 1 + Part 2 Director's Cut] R2 DVD
at UK Amazon released on 11th May 2015
UK: The Theatrical Version was passed 18 uncut for strong violence, strong real sex and strong sex references for:
2014 Artificial Eye [Vol I + Vol II] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon
2014 Artificial Eye
[Vol I + Vol II] R2 DVD at UK Amazon
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a 2019 USA/UK comedy drama by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.
Exists as a Theatrical Version and an Extended Cut. The pre-release
version shwn on the film festival circuit was a couple of minutes shorter than the Theatrical Version. The film was banned in China.
The Chinese cinema release of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time ...
in Hollywood was cancelled with just a week's notice. The film censors banned the film but did not given any explanation of the reason why.
Tarantino, who is known to be opposed to any kind of tinkering with his films and has final-cut rights
included in his contract, has no plans to bring his film back to the editing bay, especially given that China has offered no explanation for what is objectionable in the film that revolves around the events leading up to the infamous Manson Family
murders of 1969.
The decision to halt the release is speculated to be about Tarantino's portrayal of the late martial arts hero Bruce Lee, who was of Chinese descent. It seems that Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, made a direct appeal to China's
National Film Administration, asking that it demand changes to her father's portrayal. Friends and family of the Hollywood action star have criticized Tarantino for his portrayal of Lee, saying it doesn't resemble the real-life man and is instead a
caricature.
Summary Notes
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his
longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood's
golden age.
v Onward
- 2020 USA children's cartoon comedy by Dan Scanlon.
Padmavat is a 2017 India historical romance by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.
Banned in Malaysia and was unavailable for several reasons in parts of
India.
Malaysia: Banned in January 2018
Malaysia's Film Censorship Board (LPF) placed the movie in its not approved list. Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF), said the film was axed as it depicted Muslims negatively.
India: Partially re-banned by violent religious mobs in January 2018
Protesters in
India's Gujarat have blocked roads and caused local bus services to be suspended, after the Supreme Court cleared the release of controversial Bollywood film Padmavat.
Extremist Hindu groups torched buses and vandalised a theatre in the western state
of Gujarat on Sunday.
Despite the court ruling and tightened security, theatre owners in the state have decided against screening the film as they fear further violence.
About a quarter of cinemas across India decided not to show the film for fear
of religious violence.
India: Unbanned by India's Supreme Court in January 2018
India's Supreme Court has found that individual states should not be able to overrode the national film censor and so bans in the states
of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have been overturned.
The film's producers had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the states' ban, and Chief Justice Dipak Misra concurred with the producers. He stated:
Cinemas are an inseparable part of right to free speech and expression. States... cannot issue notifications prohibiting the screening of a film.
India: Banned in 4 states in January 2018
The controversial historical movie Padmaavat looks all set to arrive in cinemas on January 25 but members of the Bharatiya Janata Party continue to make threats about its release?
The film has now been passed by the Central Board of Film
Certification with a U/A certificate and five cuts adding up to 5s:
The title was changed from Padmavati, an historical character, to the fictional name Padmavat.
Disclaimers were added with one regarding not glorifying the practice of Sati, and another noting that the film is fictional.
There were
cuts to the Ghoomar song to 'befit' the character portrayed.
Viacom Pictures put out a press release on Saturday confirming a worldwide release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
However, despite the censor board's green signal, the movie has been banned in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana, all of
which are BJP-ruled states. This is entirely legal. State governments have the power to block a film's release even after censor clearance.
There has been no end to protests by the Rajput Karni Sena, the community organisation that has been leading
attacks on the movie since early 2017 on the grounds that it distorts history. On Friday, over 130 Rajput Karni Sena members were arrested in Mumbai for staging a protest outside the CBFC headquarters in Mumbai. The organisation has demanded that the
certification be revoked until its leaders have watched the movie, and have threatened to burn down cinemas that screen the film.
Summary Notes
Rani Padmavati (aka Padmini) is said to be one of the
most beautiful women to ever exist. This real life story is epitome of Love and sacrifice between Rajput Queen Padmavati and Rana Rawal Ratan Singh, the Rajput ruler of Mewar. Their perfect life took unfortunate turn when Allauddin Khilji's lustful eyes
gazed upon Queen Padmavati. Alauddin Khilji is known as one of the most brutal rulers of the Khilji dynasty, who ascended the throne by killing his father-in-law, his brother-in-laws and their uncles. He was known for attacking states, only for their
land and women. And, the motive behind the attack on Mewar was none other than royal Rani Padmavati. Chittorgarh fort, today, stands as an epitome of the true Rajputana spirit, loyalty, fidelity and bravery and a symbol of women power.
v Parasite
- 2019 South Korea comedy thriller by Joon-ho Bong .
Pride is a 2014 UK comedy drama by Matthew Warchus. Starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton and Dominic West.
There are no UK or US censorship issues with this release however the film has been
banned from several showings in Turkey
Turkey: Banned in June 2023:
Kadiköy District Governor's Office on June 7 2023 banned the screening of the movie titled Pride organized by the Beksav Cinema Collective.
The collective stated that they will organize the screening despite the ban. Nonetheless, the police blockaded their building and detained people who came to watch the movie screening and the BEKSAV executives.
The film has been banned before in
Turkey when the Ankara authorities also banned screenings in 2018.
US: Artwork sensitivities
The film has not been cut by film censors but the US DVD/Blu-ray covers were edited to remove all references to
homosexuality, in particular removing a gay protest banner and deleting the word 'gay' from the description that the heroes were 'gay activists'.
Summary Notes
U.K. gay activists
work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
Versions
uncut
run:
119:57s
pal:
115:09s
UK: Uncut and BBFC 15 rated for strong language, sex references:
Raees is a 2017 India action crime thriller by Rahul Dholakia. Starring
Sunny Leone, Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
BBFC category cuts were required for a 12A rated 2017 cinema release. The film was banned in Pakistan.
Pakistan: Banned in February 2017
The film was banned in Pakistan due to its objectionable content. A source from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) said:
Owing to subtle portrayal of Muslims as violent criminals and
terrorists, the recommendations forwarded by the CBFC panel deemed the film is unsuitable for public screening.
We could not issue a certificate because the film portrays Islam and a particular Muslim sect in negative light.
The problem, as FirstPost explains, is that Raees tells the true story of a Muslim in the 1980s who indulges in the trade of liquor. The movie was deemed insulting to Islam because it
subtly portrays Muslims as criminals, violent terrorists, wanted men, and gangsters.
In other words, it is an action film about a bootlegger who was a Muslim. The real-life individual who inspired the film became a Robin
Hood-style folk hero and grew influential in politics.
Summary Notes
The film is set in the early 80's and 90's in Gujarat. The fictitious story of a man who builds an empire in the
state of Gujarat, the only state that still follows prohibition. It's a story about his rise and his relationships, which help him become the single most powerful man in the state.
v Rafiki
- 2018 Kenya/South Africa drama by Wanuri Kahiu.
The Raid 2 is a 2014 Indonesia action crime thriller by Gareth Evans. With Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle and Yayan Ruhian.
Cut for a US R rated release. Uncut in Europe. Banned in Malaysia
Malaysia: Banned
Banned by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia in March 2014 due to the violent content.
Summary Notes
Only a short time after the first raid,
Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force
Rana Plaza is a 2015 Bangladesh docu-drama by Nazrul Islam
Khan With Pori Moni and Symon Sadik.
Banned by the Bangladesh film censor, a decision upheld after an appeal.
Summary Review
The film is based on the tragic Rana Plaza collapse. The movie centers on
garment factory worker Reshma Begum's 17-day fight to survive under the debris of Rana Plaza, a building that collapsed on April 24, 2013.
The movie revealed a little too much about dire safety and working conditions in
Bangladeshi factories and was subject to a series of censorship hurdles.
The movie centers on garment factory worker Reshma Begum's 17-day fight to survive under the debris of Rana Plaza, a building that collapsed on April 24, 2013.
On July 17
2015, the High Court got involved in the censorship process and directed the authorities concerned to delete some scenes from the film saying they were too graphic and may have detrimental effects on public sentiment.
Presumably with the cuts made,
the film was cleared by the Bangladesh Film Censor Board for a premiere on September 4. But the High Court again stepped in on August 24, slapped a six-month ban on its release following a plea by the Bangladesh National Garment Workers League chief
Sirajul Islam. It also stayed the censor board's clearance of the movie. The petitioner had claimed that the movie has frightening scenes and the names of security forces were used in it, which is a violation of the law.
Further legal
hearings followed in September, unbanning and re-banning the film, until the government stepped in November 3 and blocked the screening of the movie pending an appeal filed with the censor board.
And in the latest step in January 2016, the
Appellate Committee of the board refused to grant the film a certificate saying that the committee had found the movie not suitable for public viewing.
v Razzia
- 2017 France/Morocco/Belgium drama by Nabil Ayouch.
Rocketman is a 2019 UK/USA musical music biography by Dexter
Fletcher. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden.
There was a debate in the US about cuts for a PG-13 rating but the film
ended up as MPAA R rated. It was then 15 rated in the UK. The debate was reprised in Australia where the distributors appealed an MA15+ and won their case for a lesser M rating. Cut in Russia and Malaysia. Banned in Samoa.
Samoa: Banned by the film censor in June 2019
The Elton John biopic Rocketman was banned by Samoa's film censor last week due to its depiction of homosexuality onscreen. Film censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui said:
We're concerned with the cultural values and
also the Christian beliefs here in Samoa -- it's not appropriate for public viewing.
Malaysia: Cut for gay sex
The Malaysian film censor has cut scenes which depicted depicted men kissing and
having sex with one another. Safaruddin Mohammad Ali, head of the Film Censorship Board explained:
We do not allow any scenes that promote LGBTQ in films that are for public viewing
During the Russian
premiere film goers noticed the 40s gay male sex scene between Elton John (Taron Egerton) and manager, John Reid (Richard Madden) was missing.
Film critic Anton Dolin saw the original version in Cannes and remarked the Russian
edit cut out scenes of kissing, sex and oral sex between men. This included a photo of Elton John and his husband David Furnish in the closing credits. It also didn't show scenes featuring drug and alcohol use.
Around five minutes
in total was missing from the Russian cut of Rocketman.
Maybe the 5 minutes is an exaggeration though.
Summary Notes
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of
Elton John's breakthrough years.
