Movie News

Barbie is a 2023 UK/US comedy fantasy by Greta Gerwig
Starring Margot Robbie, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ryan Gosling

Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have banned the movie Barbie from cinema screening.

In Saudi Arabia, the culture ministry's announcement on August 9 cited violations of laws and values, asserting that certain scenes within the film mocked the sanctity of marriage and family, and insulted Islamic beliefs.

Kuwait banned the film in a bid to protect public ethics and social traditions.

Meanwhile there is a lot of pressure in Lebanon to ban the film. Lebanon's culture minister Mohammad Mortada criticised the movie, saying it "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit.

The minister is backed by the armed Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah, whose head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by banning them, and said homosexuality posed an imminent danger to Lebanon and should be confronted.

Talk To Me is a 2022 Australia horror thriller by Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Starring Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird and Alexandra Jensen

When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

The hit Australian horror film Talk To Me has been banned from screening in Kuwait, reportedly solely over the casting of non-binary trans actor Zoe Terakes, who plays a character whose gender identity is never mentioned in the film.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported on the decision, which they confirmed was based entirely on the presence of Terakes, an Australian actor who identifies as non-binary and trans-masculine.

Terakes issued a statement describing the decision as being:

Targeted and dehumanising and means to harm us.

Our film doesn't actually ever mention my transness, or my queerness. I am a trans actor who happened to get the role. I'm not a theme. I am a person. Kuwait has banned this fim due to my identity alone.

As much as it is very sad to be on the receiving end of this, what is even more heartbreaking is what this precedent means for the queet and trans people of Kuwait . Representation is hope. Representation is a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to keep going, something to hold onto in the dark, a voice that whispers things can be better than they are. Eliminating trans actors on screens will not eliminate trans people (as much as the government of Kuwait wishes it would) but it will eliminate a lot of hope.

Talk to Me has already released without cuts across all other Gulf territories.

In a world where major studios such as Disney have been censoring and editing older works, physical media has been important for those that want to preserve history and watch works that haven't been censored for modern sensibilities. But now, physical media from major studios could soon be a thing of the past if Disney has its way, signaling a move towards a online digital-only future.

The Walt Disney Company has declared the discontinuation of physical disc production for its movies and TV shows in Australia, effective immediately.

Halting the production of DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K Blu-ray discs, the media giant intends to drive the focus towards digital releases and its streaming service, Disney+. The initial phase of this transition is slated to begin post the release of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 , which will be the last in-line movie to be released on physical discs in Australia and, although not confirmed, could be a sign of things to come in other countries.