For nearly the entirehistory of film production, certain films have beenbanned by filmcensorship or review organizations for political ormoral reasons or forcontroversial content, such asracism,copyright violation, andunderage immorality. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time due to political or moral change.
Many countries have government-appointed or private commissions to censor andrate productions for film and television exhibition. While it is common for films to be edited to fall into certain rating classifications, this list includes only films that have been explicitly prohibited from public screening. In some countries, films are banned on a wide scale; these are not listed in this table.
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–2001 | All | During the reign of theIslamic Emirate government in Afghanistan, watching films or television was prohibited. |
| 2008 | The Kite Runner | Banned due to inciting violence.[1] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980–1990 | Pas vdekjes (After Death) | Banned for ten years under Communist regime ofEnver Hoxha.[2] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from allArab League states because actressHaya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2023 | Barbie | On 13 August 2023, just three weeks after its release on 19 July, the screenings ofBarbie were halted in film theaters in Algeria. According toReuters, the official source was quoted as saying that the film "promotes homosexuality and otherWestern deviances" and that it "does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs."[5] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Los afincaos (The Sons of the Earth) | This film, based on the stageplay of the same name, had to insert a disclaimer at the start that the action of the film does not take place in Argentina, due to the pressure from the censors at the time. |
| 1941 | I'll Never Heil Again | Banned during the conservative period of authoritarian governments known as "Infamous Decade" (1930–1943), for lampooningNazi Germany; Argentina had declared itselfneutral during World War Two.[6] |
| 1947 | La mujer más honesta del mundo (The Most Honest Woman of the World) | This comedy film had its screening forbidden in Buenos Aires by the Municipal Censorship Commission due to the conservative public criticising it as "condoning immorality". As a result, the film could be only screened in an ephemeral and circumstantial way in some points of the interior of the country. |
| 1954 | La Tigra | This film, based on the work of the same name written byFlorencio Sánchez about the encounter of a woman known as "the Tigress" and a student of fine arts, was banned by the administrative authority after rating it as "not suitable for ages under 18", alleging "low quality" and covert moralism, excluded the film from the regime of compulsory screening with which the domestic film industry was protected. It was shown edited in Canal 9Sábados circulares show on 17 March 1962 and debuted commercially in an edited form on 10 September 1964. After 30 years when the film was thought to be lost, a copy from aSanta Fe film archive was found, being screened on Cine Club Núcleo in 1994.[7] |
| 1963 | The Silence | Banned because of "obscenity".[8] |
| 1968 | Ufa con el sexo | Banned underJuan Carlos Ongania's regime during the self-styled "Argentine Revolution" dictatorship (1966–1973), for "violating morality standards". The film was later screened in 2007.[9] |
| 1969–1971 | Los Neuróticos | This film about a psychoanalyst whose only goal is to impress the women who attend his group therapies, which was originally shot in 1969, was banned by the classification board, which was in charge of censoring films. The film underwent several cuts to submit it again in order to receive classification, but in September, the censors maintained their decision. After several cuts and a new ratification in October, the film was finally authorized to be released in November 1971. |
| 1971 | México, la revolución congelada | This documentary was banned by the Argentinian embassador of Mexico, at behest of the President of MexicoLuis Echeverria, who warned that the film was a fierce criticism of a betrayed ideal rather than a praise of the "revolution made institution". |
| 1972 | Valle fértil | This documentary film did not see a commercial debut and was banned in theValle Fértil Department by the de facto comptroller Luis Martínez, who supposed that it was due to the comment on Revista Clarín magazine titled "Valle Fértil: un pueblo que se extingue" (Valle Fertil: A people in extinction").[10] The film would later be screened in 2014. |
| 1972 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned during the self-styled "Argentine Revolution" dictatorship (1966–1973), for being "pornographic".[8] |
| 1973 | Los traidores (The Traitors) | This film, produced by Bill Susmann and based on Víctor Proncet's storyLa víctima, which was based on the self-kidnapping of a Peronist labor leader, was banned during the self-styled "Argentine Revolution" dictatorship (1966–1973) for its controversial themes (which was about a Peronist labor leader who becomes a corrupt functionary after years of militancy until the presidency of Campora). |
| 1973 | Las Venganzas de Beto Sanchez (Beto Sanchez's Vendettas) | Banned during the self-styled "Argentine Revolution" dictatorship (1966–1973), due to its controversial storyline and themes.[11] Its release was put "on hold" by the dictatorship until the democratically elected constitutional government ofHéctor José Cámpora came to power, which allowed its distribution.[11] |
| 1974 | Secuestro y muerte de Mr. Dupont (Kidnapping and Death of Mr. Dupont) | This drama film was not authorized to be screened by themilitary government and never premiered commercially. |
| 1974 | La Patagonia rebelde (Rebel Patagonia) | Banned underIsabel Perón's government (1974–1976) andJorge Rafael Videla's regime duringArgentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983). The historical film is about the suppression of a peasants' revolt, known as "Tragic Patagonia".[8] |
| 1976 | Piedra libre | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983) due to its "innmoral content", "attacks on family, religion, morals, the distinct social classes, tradition and the basic values of the Argentinian system of life, by the perverted and negative spirit which rings throughout the film, through its absurde themes and various outrageous situations"[12] |
| 1976 | Last Days of Mussolini (1974) | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983).[13][14][15] |
| 1976 | The Great Dictator (1940) | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), for mocking dictatorships.[8] |
| 1978 | Las largas vacaciones del '36 (Long Vacations of 36) | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), for its sarcastic view ofFrancoist Spain.[8] |
| 1978 | Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), for being "pornographic".[8] |
| 1978 | Pretty Baby | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), due tochild pornography concerns.[8] |
| 1979 | Coming Home (1978) | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), for its anti-war message.[8] |
| 1979 | The House on Garibaldi Street | Banned under Videla's regime during Argentina's last-civil military dictatorship (1976–1983), because it depicts the hunt for Nazi criminalAdolf Eichmann.[8] |
| 1985 | Je vous salue, Marie (Hail Mary) | Banned due to "blasphemous" and sexual content.[16] |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Banned for being considered as "blasphemy".[17][18][19] |
| 1989 | Kindergarten | Banned for its controversial themes, school shooting, scenes of nudity andunsimulatedoral sex. Acourt order required all copies of the film to be seized and a ban on its exhibition.[20] The film was finally shown in a restored copy in 2010, as part of theMar del Plata International Film Festival.[21] |
| 2014 | Borrando a papá (Erasing Dad) | This documentary about six fathers estranged from their children after conflictive divorces and hardships to keep their bonds with their children was scheduled to be premiered in 2014, but due to a court measure, it could not be commercially premiered and thus, was uploaded on YouTube.[22][23] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Pink Flamingos | Banned on its initial release until the 1980s due to offensive content.[24] |
| 1975–1992 | Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Banned on its initial release,[8] but lifted after seventeen years.[25] |
| 1976–2000 | In the Realm of the Senses | Banned because of obscenity, though a censored version was made available in 1977. Only in 2000 did it finally become available in its complete cut.[26][27] |
| 2003 | Ken Park | Banned and refused classification in 2003 for graphic depictions ofteenage sex,incest, andauto-erotic asphyxiation.[28] |
| 2011 | The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) | Temporarily banned for cruel, disturbing, and sexually explicit content. A censored DVD version was later released on 23 February 2012.[29][30][31][32][33][34] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hostage(Azerbaijani) | Banned because the plot presentsArmenians in a positive light.[35][unreliable source?] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training | Banned by the Bahamas Plays and Film Control Board.[36] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from allArab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2007 | The Kingdom | Banned because of an inaccurate depiction of a1996 bombing inSaudi Arabia.[37] |
| 2014 | Noah | Banned due to depiction ofprophets.[38] |
| 2021 | Eternals | Banned due to the film's character of Phastos and his husband.[39] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Banned due to LGBT representation.[42] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[43] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Remembrance of '71 | This documentary by Tanvir Mokammel, on the Bangladesh Liberation war was banned by theBangladesh Film Censor Board.[44] |
| 1994 | Nodir Naam Modhumoti | This film was banned for being "anti-nationalistic". The directorTanvir Mokammel appealed the ban to theBangladesh Supreme Court, and then, to theBangladesh High Court. The film eventually was released in 1996, after theAwami League returned to power.[44] |
| 1995 | Muktir Gaan | This documentary byTareque Masud andCatherine Masud was objected by the Censor Board out of concern that the songs featured in it were pro-Awami League. Overturned in 1996.[44] |
| 2005 | Teardrops of Karnaphuli | This documentary by Tanvir Mokammel about the effects ofKaptai Dam on the indigenous community inChittagong Hill Tracts was banned in Bangladesh.[44] |
| 2009 | Nomuna | This satirical film byEnamul Karim Nirjhar had its release refused by the Censor Board for its satire of political figures of Bangladesh.[44] |
| 2011 | Hridoy Bhanga Dheu | This film was banned because the main villain in the movie wore aMujib Coat, a coat worn bySheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh.[44] |
| 2015 | Mor Thengari | ThisChakma language film (which was the first of its kind) was refused certification by the Censor Board as theBangladesh Army lodged a complaint that the film showed the activities of the army in theChittagong Hill Tracts which is a sensitive issue,[45] as well for their negative portrayal (along with the police forces') during theChittagong Hill Tracts conflict.[46] The Ministry of Information in a letter to the Censor board objecting to some scenes of the film, requesting their deletion. The director,Aung Rakhine, withdrew the film rather than cut it,[44] accusing the Censor Board of violating human rights.[47] |
| 2016 | Rana Plaza | This film about a garment factory worker's 17-day fight to survive under the debris of Rana Plaza, a building that collapsed on 24 April 2013, was banned by the Bangladesh Film Censor Board due to a petition from the Bangladesh National Garment Workers League chief Sirajul Islam, as the movie featured scenes considered "frightening" as well the names of security forces, which is considered a breach of the law.[48] |
| 2023 | Faraaz | Faraaz, directed by Hansal Mehta, was released on 3 February 2023, in India and received mixed reviews from critics. This film is based on the 2016 Dhaka attack wherein 29 people were killed, including 20 hostages (17 foreigners and 3 locals), two police officers, five gunmen, and two bakery staff. Ruba Ahmed, the mother of Abinta Kabir, who was killed by militants in the Holey Artisan Attack on 1 July 2016, filed the writ on 12 February 2023. After hearing that writ petition, the High Court bench ofMd. Khasruzzaman and JusticeMd Iqbal Kabir delivered this order to ban this misleading film. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1940–1945 | La Kermesse Heroïque (Carnival in Flanders) (1935) | Banned inNazi-occupied Belgium byJoseph Goebbels because of itspacifist themes. The director,Jacques Feyder, was later hunted down for arrest but managed to hide in Switzerland.[49] |
| 1976–1994 | In the Realm of the Senses | Banned on its initial release because of its graphic sex scenes, being the last film subject to censorship in the country.[50] It was the only European country at that time where the film was banned.[51][52] Since 1994[53] the ban is no longer in effect.[54] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1940–1946 | The Great Dictator | Banned by theGetúlio Vargas dictatorship for being "communist" and "demoralizing the Armed Forces".[55] |
| 1955 | Rio, 100 Degrees F. | Banned for being "communist propaganda" and for presenting negative facts of Brazil.[56] Trying to justify the ban, the Brazilian government alleged that "In Rio de Janeiro, the temperature did not reach over 39.6 °C".[57] |
| 1964–1984 | Twenty Years Later | Banned for being a "manifesto of communism". During production, in 1964, the plot, the photographer and other material were seized and crew members were arrested.[58] The film tells the story of João Pedro Teixeira, a union leader fromParaíba murdered in 1962.[59] Ban overturned in 1984.[60] |
| 1969–2017 | El Justicero | Film banned in 1969 for criticizing the rulingmilitary dictatorship. The original35mm film was seized by the authorities and later destroyed.[61][62] For these reasons, the film waslost until 2017, when a16mm copy was restored and re-released in DVD in Brazil.[63][64][65] |
| 1971–1978 | A Clockwork Orange | Banned during the military dictatorship for containing obscenity and "promiscuous content". A censored version of black polka dots covering the breasts and genitals of the actors in the nude scenes became available in the country in 1978.[66][67] |
| 1972–1979 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned during the military dictatorship for containing obscene scenes that were considered by the government as an "attempt againstmorality and good habits". Ban lifted in 1979.[68][69] |
| 1974–1980 | Emmanuelle | Banned during the military dictatorship for obscenity and graphic sexual scenes. Ban lifted in 1980.[70] |
| 1974–1980 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Banned during the military dictatorship for containing violent scenes that were considered by the government as an "attempt against morality and good habits". Ban lifted in the early 1980s.[71][72] |
| 1975–1980 | Iracema: Uma Transa Amazônica | Banned during the military dictatorship for explicit sexual content.[73] |
| 1976–1980 | In the Realm of the Senses | Banned during the military dictatorship for pornography and graphic sexual scenes. Ban lifted in 1980.[74] |
| 1979 | Di Cavalcanti | Banned due to a court decision obtained by the adopted daughter of the painterDi Cavalcanti, Elizabeth Di Cavalcanti, alleging that her father's image was violated due to the film containing scenes from the painter's funeral and burial.[75][76] However, in 2004, members of the family of the filmmaker Glauber Rocha, made the work available in full version on a server outside Brazil, to circumvent the film's ban.[77] |
| 1982–1983 | Pra Frente, Brasil | Banned at the time of its release for containing political criticism of the military dictatorship.[67] Ban lifted a year later.[78] |
| 1982–2018 | Love Strange Love | Banned due to a lawsuit filed byXuxa, one of the actresses in the film's cast.[79] Ban lifted in 2018. Brazilian television showed the film on 12 February 2021, onCanal Brasil.[80] |
| 1985–1988 | Je vous salue, Marie | Banned during the government of presidentJosé Sarney for containing blasphemy against the Christian faith.[81][82] Ban lifted after the promulgation of the newBrazilian Constitution in 1988.[83] |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Theatrical exhibition in eight theaters in thecity of São Paulo banned during the administration of the then mayor of São Paulo,Jânio Quadros.[81] |
| 1993 | Beyond Citizen Kane | Banned in Brazil due to a lawsuit filed byRoberto Marinho.[84] |
| 2011–2012 | A Serbian Film | Banned due to it being an "excuse for pedophilia" and extreme violence.[85] The film was shown at the VII Fantastic Film Festival inPorto Alegre and was selected for the Fantastic Film Festival inRio de Janeiro.[86][87] However, it was removed from the event's schedule by order ofCaixa, the festival's sponsor. A new screening of the film was scheduled by the organizers of the event outside the festival,[88] but the copy of the film was seized by a court order, due to a lawsuit filed by the regional office of theDemocrats party.[89] Ban lifted in July 2012.[90] |
| 2013 | Heavenly Puss andThe Two Mouseketeers | TwoTom and Jerry short films, released respectively in 1949 and 1952, were confiscated "for editorial issues and appropriateness of the content to the target audience—children of 7 to 11 years".[91] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967–1990 | Privarzaniyat balon (The Tied Up Balloon) | Banned during theCommunist era for criticizing the communist leaders during World War II.[92][93][94] After Bulgaria became a democratic nation in 1990, the ban was lifted.[92][94] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Who Killed Chea Vichea? | Banned for investigating the mysterious 2004 assassination of Chea Vichea, one of Cambodia's most influential union leaders who spent years fighting for increased wages and improved working conditions for the nation's 300,000 garment workers.[95] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned for "insane romance, numerous sex sequence, the use of violence during sex" and for being "entirely related to sexual matters that are too extreme for Khmer society".[96][97] |
| 2015 | No Escape | Banned for its "negative portrayal of local culture".[98][99] |
| 2017 | Kingsman: The Golden Circle | Banned for portraying Cambodia as a base for the movie's antagonists.[100] |
| 2021 | Methagu | Banned at the request of the Sri Lankan government for reflecting the life ofVelupillai Prabhakaran, leader ofLTTE.[101] |
| 2023 | No More Bets | Banned for "seriously damages Cambodia's image and reputation."[102][103][104] |
| 2025-present | All Thai films | All films that were made inThailand were banned by the Cambodian government due to a border dispute that strained relations between each nation. The dispute began in May 2025, when clashes at the border between these nations killed a Cambodian soldier.[105] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Child 44 (2015) | Banned since 15 April 2015, when the Russian film distributorCentral Partnership announced that the film would be withdrawn from cinemas in Russia, although some media stated that screening of the film was blocked by theRussian Ministry of Culture.[106][107][108] The decision was made following the press screening the day before. The Ministry of Culture and the Central Partnership issued a joint press release stating that the screening of the film before the 70th anniversary of theVictory Day was unacceptable.[109] The Ministry of Culture claimed that it received several questions on the film's contents, primarily concerning "distortion of historical facts, peculiar treatment of events before, during and after theGreat Patriotic War and images and characters of Soviet people of that era".[109] Russian minister of cultureVladimir Medinsky welcomed the decision, but stressed that it was made solely by the Central Partnership. However, in his personal statement Medinsky complained that the film depicts Russians as "physically and morally base sub-humans", and compared the depiction of Soviet Union in the film with J. R. R. Tolkien'sMordor, and wished that such films should be screened neither before the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, nor any other time.[110] However, he also stated that the film would be available in Russia on DVD and online.[111] As a result of the decision the film was also withdrawn from cinemas in Belarus,[112] Ukraine,[113] Kazakhstan,[114] and Kyrgyzstan, while release of the film has been postponed until October inGeorgia.[115] Ukrainian film director and producerAlexander Rodnyansky criticised the decision not to releaseChild 44 as bad for the country's film industry. "Before, films where Soviet and Russian heroes were presented not in the best way have been released in Russia, but nothing similar happened. Now everything to do with history should clearly fit into a kind of framework set by the culture ministry."[116] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actressHaya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Red Zone Cuba | Banned due to its negative portrayal of Cubans. |
| 1980 | Cuba Crossing | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| 1984 | Red Dawn | Banned by the Cuban government for negatively portraying Cubans. |
| 1992 | Captain Ron | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| 1995 | GoldenEye | Banned by the Cuban government for portraying Soviets. |
| 1996 | Azúcar Amarga | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| 2008 | Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay | Banned due to its negative setting of Cuba. |
| 2014 | Camp X-Ray | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| 2019 | Cuban Love | Banned due to its negative portrayal of Cubans. |
| 2020 | Without Havana | Banned by the Cuban government. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The Hand | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government from 1969 to 1989.[117] |
| 1966 | Daisies | Banned under the Communist regime for "depicting the wanton".[118][119] The film's director,Věra Chytilová, was forbidden from working again until 1975.[119][120] |
| 1966–1988 | A Report on the Party and the Guests | Banned from 1966 to 1968 because of its political satire. After a short release during thePrague Spring, it was banned again for the next twenty years. In 1974, directorJan Němec emigrated.[121] |
| 1967 | The Firemen's Ball | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government in 1968 for "mocking the working class".[121][122][better source needed] DirectorMiloš Forman relocated to the United States. |
| 1968 | Deserters and Pilgrims (also known asThe Deserters and the Nomads) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] |
| 1969 | Funeral Ceremonies (Smuteční slavnost) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] |
| 1969 | The Seventh Day, The Eighth Night (Den sedmý, osmá noc) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121][123] |
| 1969–1989 | Squandered Sunday (Zabitá neděle) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government for twenty years, with its director, Drahomíra Vihanová, being banned from making new films until 1977.[121] |
| 1969–1989 | The Cremator | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government from 1969 until 1989 because this black comedy depicts acrematorium director who enjoys burning people and sides with the Nazis during the Holocaust.[124][125][126] |
| 1969–1989 | All My Compatriots (also known asAll My Countrymen) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] Its director,Vojtěch Jasný went into exile. |
| 1969–1989 | Birds, Orphans and Fools | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government for depicting three people orphaned by political violence and trying to mentally survive, despite not being free.[121] |
| 1969–1989 | Larks on a String | Banned until the fall of the Communist government in 1989.[127][128] |
| 1970 | Hlídač (Prison Guard) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] |
| 1970 | Fruit of Paradise | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government for its shocking content. Its director,Věra Chytilová, was forbidden from making new films for eight years.[121][129] |
| 1970 | Witchhammer | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] |
| 1970–1989 | Ucho (The Ear) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government until 1989, because the story depicts a couple who think they are under government surveillance.[121] |
| 1971 | Nahota (Naked) | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government.[121] |
| 1972 | Case for a Rookie Hangman | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government for its satirical depiction of Czech society, which meant the end of the directorPavel Juráček's career.[121][130] |
| 1972 | Leonardo's Diary | Banned by the Communist government for depicting life in Czechoslovakia in a critical light. Its director,Jan Švankmajer, was banned from working for five years.[131] |
| 1975 | The Apple Game | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government. The director,Věra Chytilová, personally asked for more information at the censor board and heard that the Soviet embassy felt the subject matter was "too heavy-duty".[121] |
| 1977–1989 | Castle of Otranto | Banned by the Czechoslovak Communist government after its director,Jan Švankmajer, refused to change anything about the film. Government censors objected to itsmockumentary tone, which could undermine people's faith in the TV news. Švankmajer himself was banned from making films for eight years.[132] |
| 1982 | Dimensions of Dialogue | Banned because the Communist government censors didn't like its criticism of consumerism. The ban was more than likely also a result of its director,Jan Švankmajer, having been banned twice before in the past.[131] |
| 1983–1989 | Straka v hrsti (A Magpie in the Hand) | Banned by the Communist government because the film was based on a script by Antonín Přidal, an author who was banned by the government, and because it featured the subversive rock bandPražský výběr.[126] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | L'Homme Qui Repare Les Femmes (The Man Who Mends Women) | Banned because "a clear desire to harm the Congolese army and tarnish its image," the government spokesman and Minister of Media and Communication accused the director of having mistranslated and therefore misrepresented certain remarks in Swahili and Mashi. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | The Skeleton Dance | Banned initially in 1930 because the censors deemed the film "too macabre" for children.[133] Today the ban is no longer in effect. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
 |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 1960 | Exodus | Banned due to actorPaul Newman's "material support for Zionism and Israel".[3] |
| 1968 | Funny Girl | Banned because the Egyptian Muslim lead (Omar Sharif) is portrayed in a romantic storyline with Jewish actressBarbra Streisand. Streisand's political support for Israel at the height of military tensions between Egypt and Israel was also a factor.[134][135] |
| 1994 | The Emigrant | This film, which is loosely based on the story of the Biblical character Joseph, raised several protests, since Islam forbids the visual depiction of religious figures.[136] After achieving all necessary approvals from the censors, the film ran successfully in Egyptian cinema until a lawsuit initiated by a fundamentalist Islamist lawyer caused a temporary ban. After a year-long court battle, the directorYoussef Chahine won the case, only to face a second ban resulting from a lawsuit initiated by a Christian lawyer who objected to the movie's deviations from the Biblical account.[137] |
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | Banned for religious reasons.[138] |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | Banned due to violent content and its religious themes.[139] |
| 2003–2007 | Bruce Almighty | It was banned for imagingGod as an ordinary man and is deemed blasphemous to Islam. The ban was lifted four years later.[140][141] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because of blasphemous content.[25] |
| 2014 | Halawet Rooh (Rouh's Beauty) | Banned right after screening the film in cinemas, after criticism over scenes deemed sexually provocative. The movie was criticized for copyingGiuseppe Tornatore's movieMalèna (2000) starring Italian actressMonica Bellucci.[142][143] |
| 2014 | Exodus: Gods and Kings | Banned for historical inaccuracies and showing history from aZionist viewpoint.[144] |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Banned because it includesAmerica Chavez, a lesbian character.[145] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned because of a same-sex kiss.[146] |
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Banned due to LGBT representation.[42] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[43] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Adhura Sapna | Banned due to racial themes towardsFijians.[147] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1930–1952 | Battleship Potemkin | Banned out of fear of inciting a Communist revolution.[6][148] |
| 1943–1945 | Mrs. Miniver | Banned during World War II.[149] |
| 1943–1950 | Johnny Eager | Banned during World War II and finally released on March 31, 1950.[150] |
| 1955–1959 | Rififi | Banned for its depiction of cracking security safes. The government feared it might inspire copycat crimes. The ban was lifted after five years.[17][better source needed] |
| 1960–1981 | Peeping Tom | Banned for 21 years.[17][better source needed] |
| 1962–1986 | One, Two, Three | Banned for 24 years due to its political satire, which could offend their ally and neighbouring country, the Soviet Union. (Finland had a policy ofFinlandization).[151][152] |
| 1969–1989 | The Great Silence | Banned by theFinnish Board of Film in June 1969 for violence.[153] Ban was lifted in February 1989 after several minutes of cuts. The film was still rated as K18 (suitable for adults only) and as such VHS versions of the film were also not allowed. The film has never received a proper premier in Finland although it has been aired three times in television (1994, 1999 and 2009).[154] |
| 1971–2000 | The Devils | Banned on its initial release in 1971 for violence and content which could potentially be hazardous to mental health. The decision to ban was ultimately taken to highest available court which did not lift the ban. A second round of banning was then seen in 1985 and the government officials used the same exact phrasing in their decision to ban as was done 14 years earlier. The ban was finally automatically lifted after a law change in 2001.[155] |
| 1972 | One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich | Banned by theFinnish Board of Film. In 1972 and 1974 Swedish television showed the film, resulting in theSwedish television mast onÅland being shut down during the movie because Finns were banned from seeing the film. Director of the Finnish Board of Film, Jerker Eriksson, said that the banning of the film was political because it harmed the Finnish-Soviet relationship. Finnish television showed the film in 1996 on the TV1 YLE channel.[156][157] |
| 1972 | Dirty Harry | Banned in February 1972 for violence and mental health reasons. The distributor challenged the banning and took the decision to ban to Finnish Supreme administrative Court which ruled against banning. After minor cuts, it was banned again. A second round of court cases (again, won by the distributor) forced the banning authorities to allow the film to be distributed. They did so but only after mandatory cuts of over three minutes. Finally in January 1973 the cut film premiered in Finland.[158] |
| 1974–1996[159] | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Banned because of graphic violence.[160] |
| 1976 | Ultime grida dalla savana | This film is entirely banned for the possible inclusion of scenes of genuine human death.[citation needed] |
| 1976–2000 | Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma | Banned in 1976 for moral, mental health and appropriateness reasons. The banning renewed again in 1984 with the defined exception of two specific screenings by the Finnish Film Archive. Finally a law change in 2001 removed the ban.[161] |
| 1980 | Cruising | Banned on its initial release.[24] |
| 1980–2000 | AllFriday the 13th movies | Banned on each films' initial release until a law change in 2001 when all films in the franchise automatically reverted to a K18 (adults only) classification.[162] |
| 1981–1991 | Dead & Buried | Banned on its initial release. A considerably shortened version was allowed in 1991 with a K16 classification (allowed for persons over the age of 16).[163] |
| 1982 | Just Before Dawn | Banned for violence for 4 months until a cut version (around 2 minutes of cuts) was allowed with a classification of K18 (adults only).[164] |
| 1986 | Born American | Banned in January 1986 for its violence and for political reasons.[165] The political reasons were that the movie was "potentially harmful to international relations". A court appeal to Finnish Supreme administrative Court decided against the banning (after some cuts would be made) and authorities were forced to dismantle the ban (with more cuts) and the movie premiered in late December 1986 after a struggle of almost a year. 20 years after the movie was banned, it was revealed (by a politics researcher and academicJuhani Suomi in his book "Kohti sinipunaa") that the authorities were in fact "instructed" to ban the film and that the banning was dictated by theSoviet Union's ambassadorVladimir Sobolev.[166]Born American was the last movie in Finland to suffer banning for political reasons. |
| 1986–2000 | The House on the Edge of the Park | Banned for violence in 1986; it took six years after the film's release for any distributor to even try to get a classification. A law change in 2001 finally lifted the ban.[167] |
| 1988–2003 | Child's Play | Banned due to excessive graphic violence.[168][169] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1925–1953 | Battleship Potemkin | Banned due to fears that it could inspire revolution.[170] |
| 1930 | L'Age d'Or | Banned in Paris by the police prefect "in the name of public order".[171] |
| 1933–1946 | Zéro de Conduite | Banned because of a plot where pupils take over a repressive school. The ban remained in effect under Nazi occupation for the same reason.[172][173] |
| 1943 | Le Corbeau | Banned from 1945 until 1947, because the film was produced under the Nazi regime with financial support too. It was also seen as a negative portrayal of French people and accused of harboring sympathies for theVichy regime. After two years, however, the ban was lifted again.[17][better source needed][174] |
| 1950–1990 | Afrique 50 | Banned for criticizing the French colonial rule. Its director,René Vautier, was condemned to one year in prison.[175][176] |
| 1953 | Les statues meurent aussi (Statues Also Die) | Banned because it suggested thatWestern civilization is responsible for the decline ofAfrican art. The film was seen at theCannes Film Festival in 1953, but subsequently banned by the French censor.[8][177] |
| 1954 | Avant le déluge | Banned due to its controversial criminal content.[176] |
| 1954–1981 | Carmen Jones | Banned due to a technicality in copyright laws on order of the estate of composerGeorges Bizet (on whose operaCarmen the film was based).[178][179][180] |
| 1955–1957 | Bel Ami | Banned on its initial release. Released after two years in a censored version.[176][181] |
| 1955–1980 | Le Rendez-vous des quais | Banned for representing dockers who refused to dispatch military supplies for use in the Indochina War.[176][182] |
| 1957–1975 | Paths of Glory | Banned in France for two decades because of its critical depiction of the French army during World War I.[183] |
| 1960 | Le Petit Soldat | Banned on political grounds; the ban was lifted in 1963 with re-editing.[8][184] |
| 1961 | Tu ne tueras point | Banned for two years because it depicts a soldier during World War II who has conscientious objections.[8][185] |
| 1965–1971 | The Battle of Algiers | Banned for six years because of its pro-Algerian and anticolonial message.[8] |
| 1965–1971 | Det kære legetøj | Banned for advocating pornography.[186] |
| 1972 | Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal | Banned for its depiction of violence and sexuality involving adolescents.[187][188] |
| 1974–1977 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Banned for its violent and sadistic content.[71] |
| 1977 | Camp de Thiaroye | Banned for criticizing the colonial system.[189] |
| 2000 | Baise-Moi | Banned from French cinema screens in 2000 after being given an X-rating.[190][191] Eventually, in August 2001, it was reclassified from age bracket16 to18.[192] |
| 2016 | Antichrist | Banned on 3 February 2016, over sexual and violent content, despite being allowed on its initial release in 2009. The ban was a result of the Catholic traditionalist pressure groupPromouvoir who wanted the 16 rating to be reclassified to prevent minors from seeing it. A French court ruled in their favor. As a new certificate is being decided the film is now banned from all cinemas, TV broadcasts, and video releases.[193] The movie was released uncut in 2023 with an 18 certificate, the highest in the country. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Les Maîtres Fous | A documentary about the religious rituals of theHauka tribe. Banned in Ghana and several other French and English colonies in Africa at the time because of the Africans' blatant attempts to mimic and mock the "white oppressors". On the other hand, African students, teachers, and directors found the film to perpetrate an "exotic racism" of the African people.[194][195] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Golfo (1914) | Banned for its royalist sentiments.[196] |
| 1967–1974 | Z (1969) | Banned under thecolonel's regime, for being critical of the junta.[197] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–present | AllWinnie-the-Pooh films | Films featuringWinnie-the-Pooh arebanned from mainland China due to the offendinginternet meme comparison withGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping in 2017.[198] Even the horror parody films,Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey andits sequel, are not allowed in that region.[199] |
| 2022 | The Dark Knight | Banned in 2022 after a review, despite it being partially filmed in Hong Kong and having previously been allowed.[200] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Jud Süss (1940) | Banned since the end of the World War II due to its anti-Jewish and pro-Nazi content.[citation needed] |
| 1947–1979 | Song of the Cornfields | Banned for being 'clerical', depiction of the controversial issue of Hungarian prisoners held by the Soviets and depicting religious values.[201] |
| 1956–1986 | Keserű igazság (Bitter Truth) | Banned for criticising the forced industrialisation of Hungary.[201] |
| 1956–1989 | Eltüsszentett birodalom (An Empire Sneezed Away) | Banned for depicting a monarch sharing similarities with the dictatorship of Hungarian communist leaderMátyás Rákosi.[201] |
| 1957–1984 | A Remarkable Case | Banned for depicting the corruption of the dictatorship of Hungarian communist leaderMátyás Rákosi.[201] |
| 1969–1981, 1998–2010 | A tanú (The Witness) | Banned under the Communist government for almost a decade, because it satirized the regime.[202][203] Was later banned again in 1998 for containing an explicit depiction of animal abuse. This scene was later cut, resulting in the film being unbanned in 2010 and released with a 12 rating.[citation needed] |
| 1974–1984 | Bástyasétány hetvennégy (Bastion promenade '74) | Banned for unclear reasons.[201] |
| 1983–1989 | Dream Brigade | Banned for being too radical.[201] |
| 1984 | The Final Countdown | Presumably it was banned for political reasons.[204] |
| 1985–1989[205] | "Bebukottak" (Hungarian slang word, meaning approximately "they failed") | This documentary film presented the life of the juvenile prison inTököl was banned due to its brutality – with only acted scenes in the film. It was only after the Hungarian regime change in 1990 that it could be freely distributed again.[206] |
| 1994 | ÁVOs | The 1994 MTV film about theÁVO (Hungarian State Police State Defense Department) was banned due to a complaint by Mazsihisz (Federation of the Jewish Communities of Hungary), on the grounds that it emphasized the origin of the perpetrators of the murder ofRaoul Wallenberg.[207] |
| 1994 | Törvénytelen szocializmus ("Illegal Socialism") | The 1994 MTV film about illegal Socialism was banned due to a complaint by Mazsihisz (Federation of the Jewish Communities of Hungary), on the grounds that it exaggerated the origin of the perpetrators.[207] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–1999 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) | Banned due to high level of violence; a censored version was later released.[160] |
| 1987 | Nekromantik | Banned due to its transgressive subject matter (including necrophilia) and audacious imagery.[citation needed] |
| 1992 | Cannibal Holocaust | Banned due to very high impact violence and offensive depictions of both human and animal cruelty. Still banned.[160] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Genangan Air Mata (1955) | Banned as ofRoostijati's death in 1975.[208] |
| 1976 | Max Havelaar | Banned for its parallels between the anti-colonial story and the then present-day regime.[8] |
| 1982 | The Year of Living Dangerously | Banned for its criticism ofSukarno's regime. The ban was lifted in 1999.[209] |
| 1994 | Schindler's List | Banned for being sympathetic to the Jewish cause.[210][211] |
| 1994 | True Lies | Banned due to controversy that focused on Muslim leaders insulting Islam and portraying themselves as religious extremists.[212] |
| 2006 | The Black Road,Tale of Crocodiles,Passabe, andTimor Lorosae: The Unseen Massacre | Banned for being critical of the Indonesian Government.The Black Road is aboutAceh and the other three films are aboutEast Timor.[213] |
| 2007 | Long Road to Heaven | Banned on the island ofBali, as local politicians worried that the film, which about the2002 Bali bombings, might promote hatred and intolerance.[214] |
| 2009 | Balibo | Banned for being critical of the Indonesian government. ThisAustralian film is based on the story of theBalibo Five, a group of journalists killed during the 1975Indonesian invasion of East Timor.[215] |
| 2014 | Noah | Banned because of its depiction of the prophets.[216] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned due to its sexual content;[217][218] however, Johan Tjasmadi, member of Lembaga Sensor Film (Film Censorship Board), said that the film was never registered to the board.[219] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Gaav (The Cow) | Banned briefly by the regime ofThe Shah, due to what was perceived as the film depicting Iran as a rural, culturally backwards society. The film would later be allowed to screen on the condition that the film would begin with a disclaimer explaining to audiences that the film is set several decades ago, and does not reflect a modern Iran.[220] |
| 1975 | Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Banned due to graphic violence and nudity.[25] |
| 1980 | Cruising | Banned on its initial release.[24] |
| 1981 | Bita | Banned under the censorship act of 1981 because it criticized exploitation of women by men.[120] |
| 1981 | Ghaire aze Khoudo Hitch Kass Naboud | Banned under the censorship act of 1981 because it depicts a lesbian relationship and a controversy.[120] |
| 1996 | Gabbeh | Banned for being "subversive".[221] |
| 1996 | Nūn o goldūn (A Moment of Innocence) | Banned because of its theme that different people can experience the same incident in a different way.[221][222] |
| 2000 | The Circle | Briefly banned on its initial release.[223] |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Banned for perceived support ofgay rights.[224] |
| 2002 | Ten | Banned for discussion ofgender discrimination.[225] |
| 2003 | Crimson Gold | [226] |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Banned for the blasphemous content. |
| 2004–2020 | Marmoulak | Pulled from cinemas two weeks after its premiere in Iran due to the film mocking conservative attitudes of the clerics in Iran.[227] In 2020, the uncut film was granted a license for screening by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.[228] |
| 2006 | Offside | [229] |
| 2010 | 300 | Banned for its negative portrayal of Persian people and the Achaemenid Empire.[230] |
| 2012 | Argo | Banned for its negative portrayal of Iran.[231] It was the onlyAcademy Award-winning Best Picture to be banned in the country. |
| 2020 | There Is No Evil | Secretly recorded and banned from exhibition for its themes criticising the Iranian government's use of capital punishment. The government also temporarily prohibited the film's directorMohammad Rasoulof from making films in the country, imprisoned him, and prohibited him from travel outside Iran.[232] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 1999 | South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Banned under theBa'athist regime for depictingSaddam Hussein in a mocking light.[6] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2015 | American Sniper | Banned for being an "insult to the population".[233] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Oliver Twist | Banned on its initial release, because the character ofFagin was deemed to beantisemitic.[234] |
| 1957 | The Girl in the Kremlin | Banned because it may have harmed Israel's diplomatic relations withMoscow.[235] |
| 1957 | China Gate | Banned for indulging in excessive cruelty. The Israeli film censorship board indicated the film depicted Chinese and Russian soldiers as "monsters".[236] |
| 1965 | Goldfinger | Banned after it was revealed that one of the main actors,Gert Fröbe, had a Nazi past.[237] The film had only run for six weeks in the theaters.[238] It was unbanned a few months later when a man went to the Israeli Embassy in Vienna and told the staff that Fröbe hid him and his mother from the Nazis (which may have saved their lives).[239][240] |
| 1973 | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Banned because the censorship board unanimously felt that the portrayal of Hitler was "too human".[241] |
| 1987 | In the Realm of the Senses | Banned because of pornographic content.[242][243] |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Banned on the grounds that it could offend Christians.[244] |
| 2004, 2021 | Jenin, Jenin | Banned by the Israeli Film Ratings Board on the premise that it was libelous and might offend the public; theSupreme Court of Israel later overturned the decision.[243][245] In 2021, the film was banned yet again after a lower court ruled in favor of a plaintiff who had appeared in the film.[246][247] |
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Banned briefly in 2004, though not for the film itself, but because of the Hebrew dub. A joke about Israeli singerDavid D'Or's high voice was added, in which one character threaten to emasculate another by saying "Let's do a David D'or on him". This remark prompted the artist to take legal action.[248] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1933–1945 | Duck Soup | Banned under the fascist government ofBenito Mussolini for poking fun at dictators and war.[249] |
| 1937–1945 | La Grande Illusion | Banned under the fascist government ofBenito Mussolini for its anti-war message.[250] |
| 1955 | Toto and Carolina | Banned on its initial release for poking fun at the police.[251] |
| 1962 | Jules and Jim | Banned initially for its sexual attitudes, but after protest this ban was quickly lifted.[17][better source needed] |
| 1972–1986 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned from 1972 to 1986 for being "obscene".[160] |
| 1982–2009 | Lion of the Desert | Banned from 1982 until 2009 as it was considered damaging to the honor of the Italian Army.[252] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1939–1946 | The Mikado | Banned until after World War II because could be construed as disrespectful towards the Emperor of Japan.[253] |
| 1945–1952 | The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail | Banned in Japan by the US occupying government for seven years, because of the "feudal values".[17][better source needed] |
| 1976–1982 | In the Realm of the Senses | Banned in Japan for its graphic sex scenes.[17] In 1982 the court ruled in directorNagisa Ōshima's favor, but the film is still only available in a censored cut.[254][255] |
| 1969 | Horrors of Malformed Men | Banned after its initial release because could be construed as disrespectful towardshibakusha.[256] |
| 1973 | Half Human | Banned since 1973 because of controversy surrounding on-screen depictions of theburakumin.[256] |
| 1974 | Prophecies of Nostradamus | Banned after its initial release because could be construed as disrespectful towardshibakusha.[256] |
| 1986–1998 | Pulgasari | Banned in Japanese theaters until 1998 for "political reasons", according to theYomiuri Shimbun.[257] |
| 2011 | Hereafter | Withdrawn from all cinemas a few days after the11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, two weeks earlier than originally planned.[258]Warner Bros. spokesperson Satoru Otani said "the film's terrifying tsunami scenes were 'not appropriate' at this time".[258] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because of blasphemous content.[25] |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Banned because of the prominence ofAmerica Chavez, who is a lesbian character.[259] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Borat | Banned due to jokingly accusingKazakhstan ofantisemitism andmisogyny. However, the film's catchphrase, "Very nice", was later used in an official tourism campaign.[260] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to depictions oflesbianism.[261] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Banned for explicit sexual content, profanity, drug use and nudity.[262] |
| 2014 | Stories of Our Lives | Banned because this documentary about being gay in Kenya "showed obscenity, explicit scenes of sexual activities" and promoted homosexuality.[263] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned due to its sexual content.[217][218] |
| 2018 (overturned) | Rafiki | Initially banned due to depictions of homosexuality. However, following public outrage, the film's director,Wanuri Kahiu, sued theKenya Film Classification Board for banning the film. The court ruled in favour Kuhiu, effectively unbanning the film.[264][265] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 1999 | South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Banned for offending theMuslim Brotherhood. TheTV series itself is also banned in the country.[266] The similar seriesBlock 13 was created as a replacement forSouth Park on Kuwaiti television; it ran for two seasons.[267] |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Banned for the blasphemous content. |
| 2004 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | Banned for being critical of the Iraq war and being an insult to Saudi Arabia's royal family.[268][269] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2007 | The Kingdom | Banned for being a "false depiction" of the 1996Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.[37] |
| 2016 | Sausage Party | Refused classification for indecency.[citation needed] |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Banned due to the inclusion of Israeli actressGal Gadot.[270] |
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | Banned and withdrawn from cinemas due to homosexual references that were found to be offensive.[271][272] |
| 2020 | Onward | Banned due to the film's minor reference to a lesbian relationship.[273] |
| 2020 | Wonder Woman 1984 | Banned due to the inclusion of Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[270] |
| 2021 | Eternals | Banned due to the film's character of Phastos and his husband.[274] |
| 2022 | Death on the Nile | Banned due to the inclusion of Israeli actressGal Gadot.[275][270] |
| 2022 | Beast | Banned for portraying Muslims as terrorists. |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Banned due to one of the film's charactersAmerica Chavez being a lesbian.[276] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Banned to LGBT representation.[42] |
| 2022 | Turning Red | Banned due to the explicit depictions ofpuberty and other mature themes.[277] |
| 2023 | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond | The first Japanese film to be banned due to the protagonist, Rimuru Tempest, being genderless. |
| 2023 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village | Banned due to a scene's explicit nature where Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira, takes a shower in the hot spring.[278] |
| 2023 | Talk to Me | Banned due to the inclusion ofZoe Terakes, who isnon-binary andtransmasculine.[279] |
| 2023 | Barbie | Kuwaiti ministry of information's committee on cinematic censorship censored the film because of its "ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society".[280] Also banned due to "promoting ideas and beliefs that are not in line with the cultures and values".[281][282] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[43] |
| 2023 | Animal | Banned due to its several sexual contents. |
| 2024 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | Banned due to a "queer character". |
| 2024 | The Crow | Banned for excessive nudity |
| 2024 | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 | Banned for mentions ofhomosexuality |
| 2024 | Wicked | Prior to theatrical release the film was pulled from local theatres due to "public ethics", then the ban was lifted in few days later. |
| 2025 | Snow White | Banned due to the inclusion of Israeli actressGal Gadot.[283] |
| 2025 | Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc | Banned due to the swimming pool scene with Denji and Reze, which included nudity, and Reze's cahracter modification in some other scenes. However, the scenes were removed in other Arabic countries except forQatar. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lightyear | De facto banned because films inKyrgyzstan are distributed from Kazakhstan, which has banned the film.[284] |
|
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 1993 | Schindler's List | Banned for political reasons.[285] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because ofblasphemous content.[25] |
| 2008–2008 | Persepolis | Banned initially after some clerics found it to be "offensive to Iran and Islam." The ban was later revoked after an outcry in Lebanese intellectual and political circles.[286] |
| 2008 | Waltz with Bashir | The film is banned in Lebanon, with the most harsh critics saying the film depicts a vague and violent time in Lebanon's history. A movement of bloggers, among them the Lebanese Inner Circle, +961 and others have rebelled against the Lebanese government's ban of the film, and have managed to get the film seen by local Lebanese critics, in defiance of their government's request on banning it. The film was privately screened in January 2009 inBeirut in front of 90 people.[287] Since then, many screenings have taken place. Unofficial copies are also available in the country. |
| 2010 | Chou sar? | The General Security Department did not state the reason behind banning the documentary, which covered theLebanese Civil War.[288][289] |
| 2011 | Beirut Hotel | Banned for political reasons.[290] |
| 2011 | Shame | [285] |
| 2012 | Fetih 1453 | Banned for being offensive to Christianity.[291] |
| 2012 | The Attack | Banned because the director, Ziad Doueiri, filmed in Israel.[292] |
| 2013 | Too Much Love Will Kill You | Banned for being blasphemous and provocative.[293] |
| 2013 | I Offered You Pleasure | The film tackles issues of sexual discrimination and the oppression of social traditions.[294] |
| 2013 | Stranger By The Lake | The film shows a romantic relationship between two men.[294] |
| 2015 | Wasp | The film centers around a gay couple.[295] |
| 2015 | I Say Dust | Banned because of a same-sex kiss.[296] |
| 2015 | In This Land Lay Graves of Mine | This film tackles fears of communities about demographic partition stemming from massacres and displacements perpetrated along sectarian lines during the Lebanese Civil War. It was banned for "stimulating sectarian and partisan zealotries and disturbing civil peace".[297][298] |
| 2016 | Personal Affairs | Produced by an Israeli company and filmed in Israel.[299] |
| 2017 | The Beach House | This film byRoy Dib, which tells the story of a late-night dinner party in which two sisters play host to an old friend and his male companion, was banned due to the revelation that the two male characters were lovers.[300] |
| 2017–2017 | Mawlana | A critique of corruption and fundamentalism. Its ban was lifted after parts of the film were cut out.[301][300] |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Banned because it casts the Israeli actressGal Gadot.[302][270] |
| 2017 | Panoptic | This documentary was banned in Lebanon due to the director Rana Eid refusing to remove a single sentence and any military presence, as well for being critical of the Lebanese military.[303] |
| 2017 | Justice League | Banned because it casts the Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[304] |
| 2017 | Jungle | Banned because it tells the true story of a former Israeli navy serviceman.[305][306] |
| 2018 | The Nun | Banned because it is "offensive to Christianity".[307] |
| 2022 | Death on the Nile | Banned because it casts the Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[275] |
| 2022 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | While no reason was given, it was supposedly banned for portraying two minions kissing in the movie, and a nun attempting to usenunchucks.[308][309] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned because of a same-sex kiss.[146][310] |
| 2023 | Scream VI | Banned because of a same-sex kiss between the two openly queer couple Mindy Meeks-Martin and Anika Kayoko.[311][312] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | No reason was given for the ban, but it may have been because atransgender flag, which had the slogan "Protect Trans Kids" on it, was briefly shown onGwen's bedroom wall.[43] |
| 2025 | Snow White | Banned because it casts the Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[313] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–present | AllWinnie-the-Pooh films | Films featuringWinnie-the-Pooh arebanned from mainland China,[198] including the horror parody films,Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey andits sequel.[199] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments | This film was banned due to its depiction of Moses, as per Islamic custom, prophets (such as Moses) and messengers of God cannot be portrayed in any medium.[314] |
| 1999 | The Prince of Egypt | Banned due to theMinistry of Islamic Affairs (then known as the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs) taking offence to the depiction ofMoses in the film.[314] |
| 2012 | Innocence of Muslims | Banned due to beingblasphemous andcritical of Islam.[315] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972–2000 | A Clockwork Orange | Banned from 1972 until 2000.[316] |
| 1977 | Raid on Entebbe | Prime MinisterDom Mintoff personally banned the screening of the film claiming the film promotes violence against an independent nation. Allegedly banned on a personal request from Libyan LeaderMuammar Gaddafi.[317] |
| 1989 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Banned for blasphemous content. The video release was also withdrawn.[318] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | La mancha de sangre | Banned due to the portrayal of sex on screen, and was not seen until after 6 years of its original release.[319] |
| 1960 | La sombra del caudillo | Based on the 1929 novel by Martín Luis Guzmán, the movie was banned for 30 years due to its portrayal of revolutionary heroesÁlvaro Obregón andPlutarco Elías Calles.[320] |
| 1968 | Fando y Lis | This film was initially banned due to a full-scale riot caused by its premiere at the 1968Acapulco Film Festival breaking out[321]Fando y Lis was shown in New York's 5th Avenue Cinema where it was dubbed, re-edited and cut by 13 minutes. It was shown in London in February 1971, re-titled asTar Babies, running 98 minutes. It was not released in Mexico until July 1972.[322] |
| 1969 | Santo en el tesoro de Drácula | This film starring the legendary wrestlerEl Santo had two versions shot: one version rated R7, which debuted in 1968; and an 18 rated version known asEl vampiro y el sexo, which could not be seen until 2011, screened on a vampire films selected byGuillermo del Toro, during the InternationalGuadalajara International Film Festival.[323][324] However, the premiere of this version was cancelled due to conflicts of rights between the productor's family and wrestlerEl Hijo Del Santo, who wanted as well to avoid that the film would tarnish his father's image.[325] |
| 1976 | Canoa | Based on a true story, it was banned due to the portrayal of the government.[319] |
| 1978 | El lugar sin límites | Due to its representation of sexuality, violence and social marginalization, the film faced imposed and mandated cuts, as well as restricted distribution.[326] |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Banned for blasphemic themes.The film was finally released in Mexican theatres in 2004.[327] |
| 1989 | Rojo Amanecer | Banned due to its portrayal of the1968 student massacre in Tlatelolco.[319] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Tot Watchers | Refused classification as politically incorrect. |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | Banned over the "juxtaposition of the colors yellow and red", which is seen as support for rebel groups.[328] |
| 2008 | Rambo | Banned for negative portrayals of Burmese soldiers.[329] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Scram! | Banned on its initial release because of a scene whereLaurel and Hardy sit on a bed with a woman to whom they were not married. Censors felt this was "indecent". Today the film is not banned.[330] |
| 2010 | Maladolescenza | The uncut version was banned since 25 March 2010 by the court ofAlkmaar, which classified several scenes as child pornography.[331][332] The decision therefore means that possession, distribution and knowingly gaining access to the movie is prohibited.[333] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1992 | Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Banned on its initial release,[8] but lifted after seventeen years.[25] |
| 1976–1985 | Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle | Banned due to content that would be contrary to public decency and undesirable to public interest.[334] (VHS release was later approved at R16[335]) |
| 1980, 2006 | Cannibal Holocaust | Banned due to its extremely violent content and actual on-screen killings of animals.[336] (also refused release in 2006) |
| 1981–1988 | Mad Max | Banned in 1979 because of a graphic violent death.[337] (VHS release was later approved at R18[338]) |
| 1986, 1995 | Pink Flamingos | A home video VHS release with cuts made was rated R18 in 1985.[339] An uncut home video release in 1986 was rated "R" and limited to trade screenings only.[340] Another uncut home video release in 1995 with bonus material was also rated "R" and limited to the importer only.[341] The film was "Refused Classification" (not "Objectionable") in 2024 for blu-ray. This is because the submission process was not completed, not because of the content itself.[342] It is an offense in New Zealand for anyone to import, possess or distribute the uncut version of this film, unless granted special permission from the OFLC to do so. |
| 2004–2021 | Puni Puni Poemy | Banned on the grounds that it "tends to promote and support the exploitation of children and young persons for sexual purposes, and to a lesser extent, the use of sexual coercion to compel persons to submit to sexual conduct", and for high-impact violence and cruelty.[343] In 2021 the Office reconsidered the series and classified it R16.[344] |
| 2005 | Love Camp 7 | Although an edited VHS version had been classified R18 in 1996, the unedited DVD version was banned in 2005 for "exploit[ing] the nudity of women and present[ing] real and tragic events in a flippant and offensive way."[345] |
| 2005 | Vase de Noces | Banned because the film "promotes and supports bestiality".[346] As of 2017, it is still banned.[346] |
| 2007–2008 | Hostel: Part II | Banned due to one scene that "fuses an act of extreme violence with sexual gratification". This scene's inclusion led to the film being classified as objectionable under s3(2)(f) of theFilms, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 on the grounds that it "tend[s] to promote and support acts of torture and the infliction of extreme violence and extreme cruelty",[347][348] thus making it illegal for the film to be displayed publicly.Sony Pictures initially refused to remove the scene. However, on 29 January 2008, after the scene was excised, the film was rated R18 for "torture and sadistic violence".[349] |
| 2010 | I Spit on Your Grave (2010 remake) | Banned "because it tends to promote and support the use of violence to compel any person to submit to sexual conduct".[350][351] |
| 2010-2023 | Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny | Banned on the grounds of the series' violent and sexual scenes. Due to the reaction from New Zealand film authorities, distributorMadman Entertainment chose not to release the remaining volumes there.[352] In 2023 the Office reconsidered the series and classified it R18. |
| 2011 | Megan Is Missing | Banned for its sexual violence involving young people.[353] |
| 2011 | The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) | Banned due to its gore, violence and sexually explicit content.[354] |
| 2012 | A Serbian Film | Banned by the government on 25 May 2012, due to "objectionable content" (offensive depictions of sexual violence, pedophilia, extreme violence, necrophilia and/or other content that is offensive and abhorrent)[355] |
| 2013 | Maniac | Banned from theatrical and home video release; theOFLC felt that "the tacit invitation to enjoy cruel and violent behavior through its first-person portrayal and packaging as entertainment is likely to lead to an erosion of empathy for some viewers".[356] |
| 2013 | I Spit on Your Grave 2 | Banned "because it tends to promote and support the use of violence to compel any person to submit to sexual conduct".[citation needed] |
| 2016 | Cat Sick Blues | Banned because of a scene in which a woman is orally raped to death. The distributor refused to remove the scene from the film.[357] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | District 9 | Banned due to accusations of beingxenophobic andracist towards Nigerians.[358] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1948–present | All foreign films | Several reports have stated that North Korea bans all foreign films, as well as almost all foreign products, including all foreign media, regardless of content.[359][360][361][362] There have, however, been some exemptions. North Korean leaderKim Jong Il reportedly owned a collection of around 15,000 films, many of which were from overseas.[363] According to Nick Romano ofVanity Fair, duringKim Il Sung's reign of North Korea, "[Kim Jong Il] even established an underground circuit of bootleg films, as North Koreans weren’t allowed to watch most international releases".[363] The British filmBend It Like Beckham was broadcast on North Korean state television on 26 December 2010, to celebrate foreign relations between the two nations; the film contains significant sub-plots about religion and homosexuality, but was edited down to half its original runtime for the broadcast.[364] In 2015, theBritish Film Institute reported that 108 films from outside of North Korea had been screened at that year'sPyongyang International Film Festival, but none were from South Korea, Japan, or the United States.[365] |
| 1986 | Pulgasari | Banned under the orders ofKim Jong Il upon its director,Shin Sang-ok, escapingcaptivity in North Korea alongsidehis wife in March 1986. As of 2015, it is still banned theatrically.[363] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964–1971 | 491 | Banned due tohomosexual themes; a censored version was later released.[366] |
| 1972 | Pink Flamingos | Banned on its initial release until the 1980s.[24] |
| 1974–1997 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Banned due to high impact scary violence. Ban lifted in 1997 and re-released uncut with an 18 (Adults only) rating.[160] |
| 1979–1980 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | Banned due to jokes deemed offensive to religious people. In Sweden the film was allowed for release and even screened with the tagline "The film so funny that it got banned in Norway".[367] In 1980 the Norwegian ban was lifted.[160] |
| 1987 | Nekromantik | Banned outright by theNorwegian Media Authority due to outrageous, offensive & abhorrent content (Necrophilia, extreme violence, animal cruelty, and/or other material that is disgusting & abhorrent).[citation needed] |
| 1998 | Kite | Banned due to a graphic scene of sexual assault on a minor.[368] |
| 2009 | Ichi The Killer | Banned due to high impact violence and cruelty. In January 2009, TheNorwegian Media Authority classified the film as "Rejected" and banned the film outright inNorway after the government learned of an incident at theStockholm Film Festival where two people both vomited and fainted while watching the film. The film remains strictly prohibited in Norway.[160] |
| 2011 | A Serbian Film | Banned due to violation of criminal law sections 204a and 382 which deal with the sexual representation of children and extreme violence.[160] An edited version of the film was eventually passed with an 18 rating.[369] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2020 | Onward | Banned due to referencing to alesbian relationship |
| 2021 | Eternals | Banned due to the film's character of Phastos and his husband.[39] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[43] |
| 2023 | Barbie | Banned due to "promoting ideas and beliefs that are not in line with the cultures and values".[281][282] |
| 2024 | The Crow | Banned for excessive nudity |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lightyear | The film was banned from distribution in certain OIC member states which includeTurkey,Egypt,Indonesia,Lebanon,Kuwait,Malaysia,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates and few others,[370][371] due to a scene featuring same-sex kiss betweenUzo Aduba's female character Alisha Hawthorne and her partner.[372] ThePeople's Republic of China, not an OIC member but a fellowSCO member with Pakistan, also requested that the scene in question be removed.[373] The scene was initially cut from the film in mid-March 2022, but following, Disney CEOBob Chapek's controversial opposition to Florida'sParental Rights in Education bill and the internal polarizing uproar it caused within Disney, the scene was reinstated.[374][375] Speaking toVariety's Angelique Jackson, Chris Evans had stated about the scene saying: "I've been asked the question a few times — it's nice, and it's wonderful, it makes me happy. It's tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion [...] The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn't have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is. That representation across the board is how we make films."[376] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Blood of Hussain | Banned by General Zia ul-Haq, after he seized power in a coup de état in 1977, as the film portrays a fictional military coup in an unfavourable light.[377] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because of blasphemous content.[25] |
| 2012 | Agent Vinod | Banned by theCentral Board of Film Censors ofPakistan, for containing various controversial references to the Pakistani spy agencyInter-Services Intelligence.[25][378] |
| 2016 | Maalik | Banned by theGovernment of Pakistan.[379] |
| 2016 | Sarabjit | Banned because of blasphemous content and excessive controversial depictions. |
| 2023 | Barbie | Initially banned inPunjab due to it containing objectionable content but it was rescinded.[380] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned due to sexual content.[381] |
| 2016 | The Opposition | Also pulled from the Papua New Guinea Human Rights Film Festival.[382] The film follows Joe Moses as he struggles to save his community from policemen wielding machetes and guns descending on the Paga Hill Settlement inPapua New Guinea to bulldoze their houses to the ground. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | The Great Dictator | Banned under the military dictatorship ofHiginio Morínigo.[383] |
| 1971 | Sacco & Vanzetti | Banned under the military dictatorship ofAlfredo Stroessner for "encouraging Communism".[8] |
| 1973 | State of Siege | Banned under the military dictatorship ofAlfredo Stroessner.[8] |
| 1979 | The Deer Hunter | Banned under the military dictatorship ofAlfredo Stroessner for "danger of being misunderstood".[8] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Taita Cristo [es] | This film, an Argentina-Peru coproduction, which revolves around the sufferance of a village in Northern Peru face to a drought had its screening banned in Lima "for including scenes which offended the human dignity, moral values and the Catholic creed".[384] |
| 1973 | Runan Caycu [es] | This film, produced by theNational System of Support to Social Mobilization [es], about the struggles of the Cuzco peasants movement against the gamonales and hacendados, seen by the eyes of communal leaderSaturnino Huillca [es], showing also the role and violent participation the Armed Forces had during the struggle preceding thePeruvian Agrarian Reform, was censored by the Central Information Office and never got its premiere in Peru. It could only be shown in the alternative and clandestine circuit of trade unions and cineclubs. Despite this, the film won the Silver Dove at the 1973 International Documentary Film Festival in Leipzig.[385][386] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Banned because censors felt it was "pro-German". Ironically, it was also banned in Nazi Germany for being "anti-German".[387] |
| 1945 | The Wind from the East | Banned due to anti-Polish sentiment and historical distortions of theSoviet invasion of Poland.[388] |
| 1946 | Australia Marches with Britain | Banned without a reason given.[389] |
| 1946 | Men of Timor | Banned without a reason given.[389] |
| 1967–1985 | Ręce do góry (Hands Up!) | Banned under the Communist government for 18 years for depicting theStalinist era.[390] Its director,Jerzy Skolimowski, was so outraged he left his country and moved to the West. |
| 1972 | Diabeł (The Devil) | Banned under the Communist government because of its political anti-war theme.[391][392] |
| 1973–1981 | Opowieść o człowieku, który wykonał 552% normy (A Story of a Man Who Filled 552% of the Quota) | Banned under the Communist government for its depiction of theStalinist past. It was only released after the director,Wojciech Wiszniewski, died in 1981.[390] |
| 1975–1981 | Wanda Gościmska. Włókniarka (Wanda Gościmińska. A Weaver) | Banned under the Communist government for its depiction of theStalinist past. It was only released after the director,Wojciech Wiszniewski, died in 1981.[390] |
| 1976–1980 | Spokój (The Calm) | Banned under the Communist government for four years because the plot is about a strike.[393][Note 1] The film was finally shown on Polish television for the first time on 19 September 1980. In 1981,The Calm received thePolish Film Festival Special Jury Prize.[395][396] |
| 1976–1981 | Elementarz (The Primer) | Banned under the Communist government for its depiction of theStalinist past. It was only released after the director,Wojciech Wiszniewski, died in 1981.[390] |
| 1977–1981 | Indeks. Życie i twórczość Józefa M. (The Index) | Banned under the Communist government for four years, because it depicted the1968 protests.[397] |
| 1981 | Był Jazz (There was Jazz) | Banned by the Communist government.[397] |
| 1981 | Człowiek z żelaza (Man of Iron) | Banned under the Communist government for its political criticism and for depicting the labour unionSolidarity.[397] |
| 1981 | Gorączka (Fever) | Banned by the Communist government, because of its brutally realistic portrayal of the occupying Soviet forces.[173][398] |
| 1981 | Jak żyć (How to Live) | Banned twice in one year by the Communist government.[397] |
| 1981 | Kobieta Samotna (A Lonely Woman) | Banned by the Communist government for its political criticism.[397] |
| 1981–1983 | Wojna światów – następne stulecie (The War of the Worlds: Next Century) | Banned under the Communist government for depicting a futuristic society which showed parallels with the political situation of Poland at that time. It remained banned until 1983.[390] |
| 1981–1984 | Wahadełko (Shilly Shally)[399] (Shilly Shally) | Banned under the Communist government for three years, because the story is set during theStalinist era.[390] |
| 1981–1984 | Dreszcze (Shivers) | Banned by the Communist government. The film is a satirical story about a teenager imprisoned at an indoctrination camp.[400][401] |
| 1981–1987 | Wielki bieg (The Big Run, also translated asThe Big Race) | Banned under the Communist government for six years for its political criticism.[402][403] |
| 1981–1987 | Blind Chance | Banned by the Communist government because of one storyline where Communism in Poland is overthrown.[404][405] |
| 1981–1988 | Kobieta Samotna (A Lonely Woman, also translated asA Woman Alone) | Banned under the Communist government for its political criticism.[397] It remained banned for seven years, until 1988.[402][403] |
| 1982–1987 | Matka Królów (The Mother of Kings) | Banned under the Communist government without even being released for its political criticism.[397] It remained banned for five years, until 1987.[402] |
| 1982–1989 | Przesłuchanie (Interrogation) | Banned under the Communist government for seven years because of its criticism ofCommunism. Despite the film's controversial initial reception and subsequent banning, it garnered acult fanbase through the circulation of illegally taped VHS copies, which directorRyszard Bugajski secretly helped to leak out to the general public.[406][407][408] |
| 1983–1988 | Niedzielne igraszki (Sunday Pranks) | Banned under the Communist government for five years.[399][409] |
| 2008 | Necrobusiness | The movie was banned on request ofŁodzian funeral entrepreneurs due to depiction of the "skin hunters" scandal, focusing on Łodzian medics killing patients withpancuronium to get paid by Łodzian funeral agencies. Another supposed reason for the movie's banning was depiction of Poland in a bad light. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Catch-22 | Banned under theMarcelo Caetano dictatorship for a scene depicting a character sitting naked in a tree,[328] though the fact that the film satirizes the military may also have been a factor. |
| 1972–1974 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned underMarcelo Caetano dictatorship for its strong sexual content. Ban lifted after theCarnation Revolution in 1974.[160] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Banned for the blasphemous content. |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2014 | Noah | Banned for depicting the prophets.[38] |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Banned because it features Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[410][270] |
| 2020 | Onward | Banned due to the film's minor reference to a lesbian relationship. |
| 2021 | Eternals | Banned due to the film's character of Phastos and his husband.[39] |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Banned due to the film portraying a gay character.[276] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2023 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village | The first Japanese film to be banned due to a scene's explicit nature where Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira, takes a shower in the hot spring.[278] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[43] |
| 2023 | Barbie | No official announcement yet. Likely banned due to undermining public morals.[411] |
| 2024 | The Crow | Banned for excessive nudity. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1981–1990 | Carnival Scenes | Banned from the personal order ofNicolae Ceaușescu due to violent content.[412][413] |
| 2008 | Saw IV | Banned upon release. Later reclassified and prohibited only to minors.[412] |
| 2009 | Milk | Banned upon release. Later reclassified and prohibited only to under-15s.[412] |
| 2014 | Nymphomaniac: Vol. II | Classified by the National Cinema Center's rating commission as a film "forbidden to minors under 18 and banned from public screening" due to explicit content.[414] After outrage at decision in mass media and on social networking websites, the commission allowed cinemas to run the film for audiences over 18.[412] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Prometheus | Banned in Russia for promotingUkrainian nationalism.[415] |
| 1939–1990 | Gone with the Wind | Banned in the Soviet Union for unknown reasons.[416] |
| 1966 | Andrei Rublev | Banned in Russia for its themes of artistic freedom, religion, political ambiguity,autodidacticism, and the making of art under a repressive regime. Because of this, it was not released domestically for years after it was completed, except for a single 1966 screening inMoscow.[17][better source needed][417] |
| 1967–1987 | Commissar | Released September 1967. Banned for its depictions of Jews. The government saw Jews as a fifth column, covert Zionists and potential traitors to the Soviet Motherland, which became more pronounced after theSix-Day War. Representations of Jews in films were generally suppressed in this era. The ban was lifted in 1987.[418] |
| 1968–1987 | The Glass Harmonica | Banned by the Soviet government for itssurrealist animation and perceived anti-authoritarian symbolism.[419] |
| 1968 | Brief Encounters | Banned by the Communist government.[398] |
| 1971 | TheLong Farewell | Banned by the Communist government for its negative view of a mother-son relationship.[398] |
| 1972–1990 | The Godfather | Banned by the Communist government because it romanticized the criminal world. In 1990, the ban was lifted.[416] |
| 1977–1990 | AllStar Wars movies | Banned by the Soviet government.[416] In 1990, the ban was lifted. |
| 1984 | Repentance | Banned for its semi-allegorical critique ofStalinism.[420][421] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned for being "offensive".[422] |
| 2014 | The Interview | Banned to avoid political provocations.[423] |
| 2018 | The Death of Stalin | Banned by theMinistry of Culture for being offensive and extremist.[424] |
| 2019 | Jojo Rabbit | Banned for portrayingAdolf Hitler and theNazi Party in a comedic light.[425] |
| 2019 | Mr. Jones | The film shows the facts of theHolodomor andmass political repressions against Ukrainians, which the Soviet and later Russian authorities officially deny. The screening in Moscow was interrupted several times byFSB. Therefore, actually, the film is banned in Russia |
| 2022 | The Green Elephant (1999) | Banned on 6 May 2022 for graphic violence.[426] |
| 2023 | Holy Spider | Released in Russian cinemas for a few days and was soon banned for reasons unclear. The RussianMinistry of Culture stated that the film "contain[ed] information whose dissemination is prohibited by the legislation of the Russian Federation." The directorAli Abbasi believes the ban was related to Iran's military support for Russia in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[427] |
| 2023 | Непосредственно Каха. Другой фильм [ru] (Directly Kakha. Another Movie) | Banned three months after the premiere due to rape excuse andvictim blaming.[428] The movie was also removed fromstreaming services.[429] |
| 2023 | Barbie | Banned due to 'not corresponding to traditional values'[430] |
| 2023 | Oppenheimer | Banned due to 'not corresponding to traditional values'[430] |
| 2023 | Fairytale | Banned in Russia[431] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Angels & Demons | Banned due to the censor describing the film as "critical of the Catholic Church".[432] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned outright after church leaders watching a pre-release showing filed a complaint with film censors.[433] (seeCensorship in Samoa for details)[25] |
| 2009 | The Cell 2 | Banned due to violent content.[433] (seeCensorship in Samoa for details) |
| 2009 | Milk | Banned, originally without being given a reason.[433] Later, it was explained that the censors deemed it "inappropriate and contradictory to Christian beliefs and Samoan culture": "In the movie itself it is trying to promote the human rights of gays." The sex scenes in particular were considered inappropriate by the Samoan Censor Board.[434] (seeCensorship in Samoa for details) |
| 2009 | National Lampoon's Van Wilder: Freshman Year | Banned in 2009.[435] (SeeCensorship in Samoa for further details) |
| 2019 | Rocketman | Banned for its depictions ofgay sex.[436] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 1962, 1967 | Calypso Cat andJerry, Jerry, Quiet Contrary | Both short films are banned as inappropriate. |
| 2001–2018 | AllHarry Potter movies | Banned for alleged occultism and satanism propaganda.[437][438] In 2018, the ban was lifted. |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Banned for the blasphemous content. |
| 2004 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | Banned for being critical of the Iraq war and being an insult to Saudi Arabia's royal family.[268] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2013 | King of the Sands | Banned for depicting the Saudi Arabia country founderIbn Saud. |
| 2014 | Noah | Banned for depicting the prophets.[25] |
| 2020 | Onward | Banned due to the film's minor reference to a lesbian relationship. |
| 2021 | Bell Bottom | Banned for allegedly tampering with historical facts.[439][440] |
| 2021 | Eternals | Banned due to the film's character of Phastos and his husband.[39] |
| 2022 | West Side Story | Reportedly banned to the film's portrayal of a transgender character.[441] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Banned due to the film's depiction of an openly gay character and a lesbian couple.[442] |
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Banned due to the film's characterAmerica Chavez being a lesbian.[276] |
| 2022 | Sita Ramam | Unknown, likely banned for hurting religious sentiments.[443] |
| 2023 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village | The first Japanese film to be banned due to a scene's explicit nature where Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira, takes a shower in the hot spring. The ban was lifted when Ufotable allows to censor the mentioned scene.[278] |
| 2024 | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 | Banned because of homosexual references |
| 2024 | Singham Again | Banned due to religious conflicts |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Ceddo | Banned for its presentation of the conflicts between Islamic and Christian religions and ethnic and traditional beliefs.[8][444] According to another account reported inThe New York Times in 1978, the banning was not "because of any religious sensitivity, but because Mr. Sembène insists on spelling 'ceddo' with two d's while the Senegalese Government insists it be spelled with one."[445] |
| 1988 | Camp de Thiaroye | Banned for criticizing the colonial system.[189] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because Prime MinisterManasseh Sogavare stated that the film "undermines the very roots of Christianity in Solomon Islands."[446] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | The Johnson-Jeffries Fight | Banned because the footage depicted the black boxerJack Johnson defeating the white boxerJames J. Jeffries, which had already inspired race riots in the American South.[8] |
| 1964 | Zulu | Banned under theapartheid regime from screening to black South Africans, because it depicts a Zulu uprising in the 19th century. Whites were allowed to see it in their own segregated cinemas.[447] |
| 1971–1984 | A Clockwork Orange | Banned under the apartheid regime for 13 years, then released with one cut and only made available to people over the age of 21.[448] |
| 1978 | Up in Smoke | Banned under the apartheid regime because it "might encourage the impressionable youth of South Africa to take up marijuana smoking".[449] |
| 1978–1983 | Pretty Baby | Banned under the apartheid regime until 1983.[448] |
| 1979 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | Banned under the apartheid regime because of blasphemous content.[71] |
| 1980 | Cruising | Banned under the apartheid regime on its initial release.[24] |
| 1988 | Mapantsula | Banned under the apartheid regime for criticism of apartheid.[447] |
| 1995–1997 | Kids | Banned for two years and only unbanned in 1997 on appeal with a no-under 16 age restriction.[450] |
| 2013 | Of Good Report | Banned in the entire country because it has a storyline where older men abuse young girls, with scenes deemed "child pornography" according to the censors.[451] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | A Clockwork Orange | Banned due to depictions of violence and gang rape. Has been lifted since.[160] |
| 1973 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned for its strong sexual content.[160] |
| 1975–1981 | Ban Geum-ryeon | Banned for six years, was released in South Korea with 40 minutes cut.[452] |
| 1979 | Apocalypse Now | Banned under South Korean PresidentPark Chung Hee's regime, the importation of the film was on hold because of its anti-war theme.[453][failed verification] |
| 1992 | Braindead | Banned for gory violence.[454] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1927–1975 | Battleship Potemkin | Banned under the regime ofFrancisco Franco out of fear of inciting a Communist revolution.[6][148] |
| 1940 | El crucero Baleares (The Baleares Cruiser) | This film revolving around the Francoist heavy cruiserBaleares was withheld from being premiered by order of the thenMinistry of the Navy due to its poor cinematographic quality, granting only a private screening.[455] |
| 1956 | La bandera negra (The Black Flag) | First film of the filmmakerAmando de Ossorio, who later would be specialised in the horror genre. It was a plea against death penalty, which was then legal in Spain, with the performance of only one actor,José María Seoane. It was filmed without official authorisation, which was the reason why the censors fined it and submitted it to several cuts, eventually not making it to being distributed.[456] |
| 1957–1986 | Paths of Glory | Banned under Franco's regime for its "anti-military" themes.[17][457] |
| 1957 | Miracles of Thursday | This film revolves around a group of people from a forgotten town deciding to fake and represent a miracle, in order to attract tourism to their town. A screenplay by Luis García Berlanga, which resulted into him clashing with the Francoist censors. |
| 1960 | Psycho | The Francoist censors cut several shots from the scene of the shower murdering in order to hideJanet Leigh's body nudity. |
| 1960–1975 | La Dolce Vita | Banned under the regime ofFrancisco Franco.[458] |
| 1961–1977 | Viridiana | Banned under Franco's regime, although the Film Institute of Spain approved the film's submission to theCannes Film Festival. After theCatholic Church expressed its indignation, the head of the Film Institute was fired and the film was banned for sixteen years.[459] |
| 1964 | El extraño viaje | Directed byFernando Fernán Gómez, based on an idea from Luis García Berlanga, which was based on a real story of two brothers fromHaro, La Rioja. The censorship gave this film the most restrictive rating, which did not even grant the right to debut, delaying approximately 5 years to have a minimal distribution.[460] |
| 1964 | Behold a Pale Horse | Banned under the regime of Francisco Franco.[461] According to director Fred Zinneman, the reason of the ban was due to the film's portrayal of theSpanish Civil Guard as "heavies".[462] |
| 1968 | Algo amargo en la boca (Something Bitter Tasting) | One of the first films of the later famed and polemicEloy de la Iglesia, who saw how censorship provoked some alterations in the result.[463] |
| 1969 | The House That Screamed | Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's cinema debut suffered some cuts in its film imposed by the censors. These affected a sequence where the lesbianism of the characters was implied, as well as some plans taken in the showers scene. This material was not kept, although some still pictures taken during the filming.[464] In a 2002 DVD edition, the film was rated asNot recommended for people under 13 years.[465] |
| 1970 | Vampyros Lesbos | This film byJesús Franco with a mostly German production crew, was butchered at the time by the Spanish censorship, which reduced it to a version lasting less than 80 minutes.[466] |
| 1972 | The Getaway | During the film's theatrical debut, the censorship imposed, a message after the films epilogue, that stated that the characters played bySteve McQueen andAli MacGraw were arrested in Mexico. This tag was removed in later home video versions and televised versions. |
| 1973 | Al otro lado del espejo (At the other side of the mirror) | This project by Jesús Franco was initially banned by the Ministry of Information and Tourism, eventually completed four years after.[467] Anyway, it debuted in Spain in an 80-minute-long cut, rendering the development moot,[468] which was something usual in Spain at the time of co-productions and double versions for the domestic market and the exports. |
| 1977 | ¿Y ahora qué, señor fiscal? (And now what, Mr. Prosecutor?) | This film is an adaptation byLeón Klimowsky from an original screenplay by Martín Vigil. The censors forced a change to the pre-production title,Orgasmo sobre una muerta (Orgasm over a Dead Woman), opting to retain the book's title.[469] |
| 1977 | ¡Votad, votad, malditos! (Vote, vote, you goddamn!) | This short film in the style of a documentary and a reportage about the pre-electoral climate inBarcelona duringSpain's first elections after the fall of the Francoist regime, was banned for questioning the official reports of theTransition.[470] |
| 1979 | The Crime of Cuenca | Based on a real fact, the official organs banned the film reiteratingly for its depiction of theCivil Guard. Shown in some film festivals, It was not shown in commercial cinemas in Spain until 1981.[471] |
| 1980–1985 | Rocío | This documentary film was the first film to be seized by court order in Spain in 1981, due to the inclusion of testimonies from townsfolk fromAlmonte pointing José María Reales Carrasco,[472][473] the town's mayor during thedictatorship of Primo de Rivera and founder of the rociera brotherhood inJerez de la Frontera (established in 1932 against the "contempt of theVirgin of El Rocío committed by theSecond Spanish Republic"[474]), as responsible of the repression in the town, which ended with 100 killings (99 men and one woman[472]), which resulted into a lawsuit for libel, insult against the Catholic religion and slander filed by the sons of Reales against the director Fernando Ruiz Vergara. As a result, a trial court from Sevilla banned the showing of the tape on 8 April 1981 inCádiz,Huelva andSevilla, with the ban extending two months later. Ruiz Vergara was arrested for two months and had to pay 50.000 pesetas as a fine and a compensation of 10 million pesetas in concept of civil responsibility for serious insult against José María Reales, as well had to cut any scene mentioning him.[472] The film was unbanned in 1985 with said scenes cut.[475] |
| 1980 | The Exterminator | This film was rated "S" due to extreme violence,[476] this is an action film about revenge whose protagonist is a Vietnam War veteran. |
| 1981 | La Petición (The Engagement Party) | Banned initially, but finally released under media pressure to reconsider its artistic merit. The film is about a woman involved in sadistic and ultimately fatal sexual relationships with men.[120] |
| 2009 | Saw VI | Banned from regular, non-adult cinemas because of the "X" rating.[477][478] A cut version was released. |
| 2010 | A Serbian Film | Banned due to extreme violence (contains a lot of sexually violent content).[479] |
| 2010 | La mula | This film had its age rating suspended and the harmful qualification for the public was declared by theMinistry of Culture under the mandate of the MinisterÁngeles González-Sinde and thePSOE government, which bans its screening. On 14 November 2012 came out the ruling through which the pretensions of the Ministry of Culture were unestimated. That same month, theICAA issued the rating certification and granted the Spanish nationality to the film. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Banned due to graphic violence and nudity.[25] |
| 2006 | Aksharaya (Letter of Fire) | Banned for dealing with issues of incest, murder, and rape.[480] |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned for religiously sensitive themes.[4] |
| 2021 | Carnal Monsters | Banned graphic nudity and violence. |
| 2021 | Necro Lesbians (Nekrology) | Banned for dealing with issues of necrophilia and rape. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | I Am Curious (Yellow) | Banned because of pornography, but after a court case it was allowed.[173] |
| 1974–2001 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Banned due to high gore violence and cruelty.[160] Ban lifted in 2001. |
| 1981–2005 | Mad Max | Banned because of violent content.[481] Ban lifted in 2005. |
| 1983 | Hell of the Living Dead | [further explanation needed][482] Released uncut on DVD in the mid-2000s.[483] |
| 1984–2005 | Tenebre | Banned because of high impact scary violence. Re-released in an uncut version in 2005.[484] |
| 1985 | Return of the Living Dead | Although its status remains unclear(?)[further explanation needed] the first two sequels have been released on DVD.[485] |
| 1997 | Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation | Banned because of high impact scary violence and cruelty. Sony Pictures later released the film on DVD.[486][487] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1957–1970 | Paths of Glory | Banned for its critical depiction of the French army during World War I.[183] |
| 1968–1975 | Rondo | Banned for its critical look at the Swiss prison system, implying that for the Swiss incarceration as a form of punishment and means of deterrence is more important than integrating released prisoners back into society.[488] |
| Date | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] | |
| 1960 | Exodus | Banned due to actorPaul Newman's "material support for Zionism and Israel".[3] | |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] | |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned for religiously sensitive material to Christians.[489] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Dictator | Banned because of subversiveness.[6] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Route | Banned because this documentary about human trafficking and sex slavery in Africa "showed too much sex and nudity" and thus was a "threat to Tanzanian culture."[263] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Boat People | Banned due it being filmed onHainan, an island in China.[120][490] |
| 2015 | Love | Taiwan's Ministry of Culture refused to issue the Restricted rating in December 2015, citing article 9 of the 2015 regulations and article 235 of the Criminal Code.[491] After the distributor cut 170 seconds of close-ups on physical intimacy, including sexual intercourse,fingering,ejaculation,fellatio, and similar, the film was released in April 2016.[492] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The King and I (1956) | Banned because could be construed as disrespectful towards the King of Thailand.[493] |
| 1999 | Brokedown Palace | Banned because of its negative portrayal of Thailand with narcotics smuggling – especially with the views of the Thai judicial system despite parts of the film shot on location by the second unit (the majority of the film was filmed in the Philippines).[494] |
| 1999 | Anna and the King | Banned because could be construed as disrespectful towards the King of Thailand.[495] |
| 2007 | All the Boys Love Mandy Lane | Banned due to violence.[496] |
| 2007 | Halloween (2007 remake) | Banned due to depictions of violence.[496] |
| 2008 | Frontier(s) | Banned due to violence.[497] |
| 2008 | Funny Games | Banned due to cruelty and violence.[496] |
| 2009 | Zack and Miri Make a Porno | Banned by the Ministry of Culture due to sexual content (characters showing how to make their own pornographic video; teens may try to mimic).[498] |
| 2010 | Saw VI | Banned due topro-Thaksin protests and violence in Thailand.[499] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Banned because it features Israeli actress Gal Gadot.[500][270] |
| 2018 | Call Me by Your Name | Banned for "attack on liberties" motivated by "the subject of the film".[501] |
| 2022 | Death on the Nile | Banned because it features the Israeli actressGal Gadot. |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Bir Çirkin Adam (An Ugly Man) | Banned for its revelations of the social conditions in the country.[8] |
| 1979 | Yorgun Savaşçı (The Tired Warrior) | Banned because it was written byKemal Tahir, who opposed the regime, and because the story casts doubt on the uniqueness ofKemal Atatürk's contribution to the struggle for the republic in the 1920s.[8] |
| 1987 | Su da Yanar (Water Also Burns) | Banned because it dealt with the banned communist poetNâzım Hikmet.[8] |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Banned for blasphemic themes.[17][better source needed] |
| 2014 | Nymphomaniac | Banned due to sexual content.[502] |
| 2020 | Cuties | Banned because of imagery displaying child sexualization and exploitation.[503] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[504] |
| 2024 | Queer | Banned for its "provocative content".[505] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972–1979 | All foreign films | PresidentIdi Amin banned all foreign films in 1972 on the grounds that they contained "imperialist propaganda".[506] |
| 2014 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Banned, like in most other African countries, due to its obscene content.[507] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hostel | Banned because it depicts Eastern Europe as a region where people are tortured for money. Owning and viewing the movie in private is still legal.[508] |
| 2006 | Land of the Dead | Banned due to high level violence and blood and gore. The movie also depicts the suffering and the agony of people who were forced to eat human flesh in Kharkiv during the German attack there in 1943.[509] |
| 2007 | Hostel: Part II | Banned for the same reason asHostel. Owning and viewing the movie in private is still legal.[510] |
| 2009 | Brüno | Banned for its homosexual themes and other vulgarities.[511] |
| 2009 | Saw VI | Banned because of scenes of brutal gory violence and torture. In the context of theSaw franchise, this is the only part that is banned. Thereby it is illegal to sell or distribute it, since visa is not given.[512] |
| 2010 | My iz budushchego 2 (We Are from the Future 2) | This Russian film about four boys, two Russians and two Ukrainians, re-enacting theLvov–Sandomierz offensive, ending in that timeline, was banned in Ukraine for being Anti-Ukrainian, as it depictied the Ukrainian boys as "radical nationalists fighting only for the German side",[513] as well for its offensive depiction of theUkrainian Insurgent Army.[514] |
| 2018 | Hunter Killer | Banned because the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture states that the film demonstrates "the military power of Russia".[515] |
| 2020 | 8 First Dates | Banned by Ukraine's Cinema Agency because one of its actresses, Yekaterina Varnava, was blacklisted for five years for visiting Crimea during Russian occupation to attend a comedy show in 2016.[516] |
| 2023 | Machete | Banned because one of its co-stars,Steven Seagal, visited Crimea during the Russian occupation without permission from the Ukrainian authorities, causing him to be blacklisted from the country.[516] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2005 | Brokeback Mountain | Banned because it depicts homosexual themes.[4] |
| 2010 | Lamhaa | Banned because of its "objectionable content"; it did not receive a clearance certificate from the UAE Censors Board and was pulled from all UAE cinemas. This is the first Bollywood film to be banned in the UAE.[517] |
| 2014 | Noah | Banned for depicting the prophets.[38] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned due to its sexual content.[217][218] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Banned due to a brief lesbian kiss scene.[40][41] |
| 2023 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village | The first Japanese film to be banned due to a scene's explicit nature where Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira, takes a shower in the hot spring. The ban was lifted when Ufotable allows to censor the mentioned scene.[278] |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Banned due to it containing frames which feature atransgender flag on which the phrase "ProtectTrans Kids" is displayed.[518][519][520] |
Generally speaking, the government itself cannot ban a film, since the United States Supreme Court ruled that films are protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution in a landmark 1950s decision. Instead of formal government censorship or bans, the film industry has, largely, policed itself through content-based ratings that are awarded to the vast majority of films that are to be publicly exhibited. Sometimes, a filmmaker may make edits to a film to avoid an 'R-rating' or an 'NC-17' rating, but a modern-day, government ban on a film would likely be struck down by the courts.
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | State of Siege | [8] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Banned because it was deemed inaccurate and offensive to Christians.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Last Tango in Paris | Banned for its strong sexual content during the first presidency ofRafael Caldera.[521][522] |
| 1981 | Ledezma, el caso Mamera | Banned for exposing state corruption, as well as accused of being an apology for crime, and the director imprisoned;[523] courts overturned both decisions.[524] |
| 2016 | El Inca | Pulled from cinemas and banned after a family injunction over the representation in the biopic; reportedly the first time a Venezuelan film has been banned in its country in 25 years.[525][526][failed verification] After being banned, the film was selected as Venezuela's representative as Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, a controversial choice.[527] |
| 2019 | Infection | Not screened, reportedly for presenting Chavist ideology in a negative light.[528] The production cooperated with theCNAC over 9 months to try and get it shown, but the film was still eventually banned;[529] the CNAC's former chairman called the move censorship.[530] The film's director, Flavio Pedota, lives in exile.[530] |
| 2019 | Chavismo: The Plague of the 21st Century | Documentary; Banned from being shown in public and at universities for supposedly inciting hate; director Gustavo Tovar-Arroyo lives in exile from the country.[531] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Xich lo (Cyclo) | Banned for being too "westernised" in its portrayal of urban poverty in the country.[further explanation needed][25][532] |
| 2001 | Green Dragon | Banned as of 2002.[533] |
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | Banned as of 2002.[533] |
| 2010 | Sex and the City 2 | Banned because of a conflict of "cultural values".[534] |
| 2012 | The Hunger Games | Banned because of extreme violence and killing.[535][536] |
| 2012 | The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo | Banned because its international distributor, Sony Pictures, did not accept the requirement by the Vietnamese National Film Board of cutting out some sensitive scenes.[537] |
| 2019 | Abominable | Taken out of cinemas over a scene showing thenine-dash line that is used by thePeople's Republic of China to lay claim to parts of theSouth China Sea.[538] |
| 2021 | Taste | Banned because of a conflict of "culture values"[539] |
| 2022 | Uncharted | Banned because of a scene showing thenine-dash line that is used by thePeople's Republic of China to lay claim to parts of theSouth China Sea.[540] |
| 2022 | The Roundup | Banned because of "violent scenes" and negative portrayal of Ho Chi Minh City in the movie.[541] |
| 2023 | John Wick: Chapter 4 | Unofficially banned because of the appearance ofDonnie Yen, who supports thenine-dash line that is used by thePeople's Republic of China to lay claim to parts of theSouth China Sea. |
| 2023 | Barbie | Banned from cinemas because one of its scenes shows maps allegedly featuring thenine-dash line that is used by thePeople's Republic of China to lay claim to parts of theSouth China Sea;[542] the Tien Phong newspaper reported that the map appears multiple times throughout the film.[543][544] The claims were defended byWarner Bros., the film's distributor, who issued a statement saying that the map was a 'child-like crayon drawing' and that it was 'not intended to make any statement'[545] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Banned from all Arab League states because actress Haya Harareet was Israeli.[3] |
| 2006 | Borat | Banned in every Arab League country except Lebanon.[4] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | La Grande Illusion | Banned in 1937 for its anti-war message.[250] |
| 1952–1977 | Ciguli Miguli | Banned under the regime ofJosip Broz Tito for its satire of socialist bureaucracy. Issued a license for public showing only in 1977.[546] |
| 1971–1987 | W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism | Banned under the regime ofJosip Broz Tito and seven years after his death in 1980.[17][better source needed][547][548] |
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Jock of the Bushveld | Banned because of its South African origins. At the time Zimbabwe boycotted South African products because of its apartheid regime.[447] |
| 2010 | Lobola | Concerned with the custom oflobola, the film was banned because it "doesn't really portray African custom when it comes to marriage, since one does not get married while drunk." Another objection is a scene where a young couple kisses in front of their parents, as well as the "abrupt ending".[549] |
| 2014 | Kumasowe | Banned because it depicts violent clashes between members of an apostolic sect in the country and Zimbabwe Republic police officers.[550] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Banned because of the explicit erotic scenes. In some theaters an edited version was allowed.[551] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Won: Special Jury Prize. Krzysztof Kieslowski, Tied with Meta (1971).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been blocked from release in the United Arab Emirates ... apparently fallen foul of the country's censorship laws due in part to the blink-and-you-miss-it protect trans lives poster featured in the background of one frame, according to a source familiar with the situation.
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