The film "Barbie" withdrawn from theaters in Algeria "for offending morals"
Algeria has withdrawn the film Barbie from its cinemas for "offending morality" after a broadcast of more than two weeks, several media in the Maghreb country said.
According to the online news site 24h Algeria, which quotes "well-informed sources", the film was deprogrammed from all cinemas in the country for "moral offense". On Sunday, theater owners changed the programs by removing Greta Gerwig's film, without providing reasons. The distributor also announced the deprogramming of the film, released on July 19 in Algeria, without details.
"Algeria ended up being won by the controversy over Barbie because of scenes intended for an adult audience" and allusions to homosexuality, explained the TSA news site, also ensuring that the film had been "discreetly removed from cinemas". Nearly 48 hours after its deprogramming, the Algerian Ministry of Culture, which usually announces film bans by specifying the reasons, is still silent.
Other countries won by the controversy
Last Thursday, Kuwait banned it for "offending public morals". The day before, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture said it had called for its ban, considering that it was "promoting homosexuality", against a backdrop of growing anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other) rhetoric in one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East. Barbie is still not broadcast in Qatar, which has not made an official announcement about it.
According to the online news site 24h Algeria, which quotes "well-informed sources", the film was deprogrammed from all cinemas in the country for "moral offense". On Sunday, theater owners changed the programs by removing Greta Gerwig's film, without providing reasons. The distributor also announced the deprogramming of the film, released on July 19 in Algeria, without details.
"Algeria ended up being won by the controversy over Barbie because of scenes intended for an adult audience" and allusions to homosexuality, explained the TSA news site, also ensuring that the film had been "discreetly removed from cinemas". Nearly 48 hours after its deprogramming, the Algerian Ministry of Culture, which usually announces film bans by specifying the reasons, is still silent.
Other countries won by the controversy
Last Thursday, Kuwait banned it for "offending public morals". The day before, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture said it had called for its ban, considering that it was "promoting homosexuality", against a backdrop of growing anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other) rhetoric in one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East. Barbie is still not broadcast in Qatar, which has not made an official announcement about it.