List of Banned Films - List

List

Note that for some countries films are banned on a wide scale and are not listed in this table.
Separate lists for some countries are listed below this table
Date Title Country Notes
1985 Je vous salue Marie (Hail Mary) Argentina Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, was banned due to its blasphemous and sexual content.
2008 Rambo Burma Banned for negative portrayals of Burmese soldiers.
1959 Ben-Hur (1959) China for containing "propaganda of superstitious beliefs, namely Christianity." (Never given permission to screen)
1993 The Blue Kite China a Chinese film that was not only banned, but deemed so offensive that director Tian Zhuangzhuang received a 10-year ban from making films. It won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and Best Film at the Hawaii International Film Festival.
1993 Farewell My Concubine China a Chinese film that won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or, was banned in a period due to homosexual themes and negative portrayal of communism.
2005 Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life China for its unflattering depictions of Chinese society (never given permission to screen)
2006 The Departed China for suggesting that the government intends to use nuclear weapons on Taiwan (a sensitive political issue – never given permission to screen)
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End China was banned because (according to Xinhua, the state news agency of the People's Republic of China) 10 minutes of footage containing Chow Yun-fat's portrayal of Singaporean pirate Sao Feng have been trimmed from versions of the film which may be shown in China. Chow is onscreen for 20 minutes in the uncensored theatrical release of the film. No official reason for the censorship was given, but unofficial sources within China have indicated that the character offered a negative and stereotypical portrayal of the Chinese people.
1972 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Finland Finnish Board of Film banned the showing of the film in Finland. In 1972 and 1974 Swedish television showed the film, resulting in the Swedish television mast on the Åland Islands being shut down during the movie because Finns were banned from seeing the film. Director of the Finnish Board of Film Jerker Eeriksson 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.
1925 Battleship Potemkin France Banned due to fears that it could inspire revolution.
1930 L'Age d'Or France Banned in Paris by the police prefect "in the name of public order."
1953 Les statues meurent aussi France a short film by Alain Resnais was banned. Its theme was that Western civilization is responsible for the decline of African art. The film was seen at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953, but subsequently banned by the French censor.
1960 Le Petit Soldat France banned on political grounds; the ban was lifted in 1963 with re-editing.
1919 Different from the Others Germany Banned due to homosexual themes
1933 Battleship Potemkin Germany Banned due to fears it could inspire Marxism.
1936 The Bohemian Girl Germany This Laurel & Hardy film was banned in Nazi Germany, because it depicted gypsies.
2010 Saw 3D Germany Tiergarten AG has noted that several scenes in the movie violate the violence act §131 StGB. Thereby the movie is banned in Germany. Private copies are still legal to own and personal use is not punishable; however any public show of the movie is highly prohibited and punishable act. There is a censored "Keine Jugendfreigabe/ No youth admitted" version, but it has all the violent scenes cut out. Retailing this copy is still legal, since "KJ" rated movies cannot be indexed/banned.
2011 Valley of the Wolves: Palestine Germany Banned in Germany, because of FSK's initial concerns over the film's perceived anti-Israeli and anti-American overtones.
1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) West Germany
1985–1999 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) Iceland Banned due to high level violence; a censored version was later released.
1992 Cannibal Holocaust Iceland Banned due to very high impact violence and offensive depictions of both human and animal cruelty. Still banned.
1982 The Year of Living Dangerously Indonesia An Australian film about Jakarta under Sukarno's rule in 1965. The ban was lifted in 1999.
1994 Schindler's List Indonesia a film that is sympathetic to the Jewish cause
2007 Long Road to Heaven Indonesia an Indonesian film about the 2002 Bali bombings was banned on the island of Bali, as local politicians worried that the film might promote hatred and intolerance.
2009 Balibo Indonesia an Australian film based on the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists killed during the 1975 Indonesian invasion of East Timor
1943 The Outlaw Ireland
1945 Mildred Pierce Ireland
1945 Brief Encounter Ireland by Noël Coward was banned, as it was considered too permissive of adultery.
1946 The Big Sleep Ireland
1950 Outrage Ireland
1971 A Clockwork Orange Ireland ban lifted in 2000
1979 Monty Python's Life of Brian Ireland ban lifted in 1987
1983 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Ireland ban lifted in 1990
2010 I Spit on Your Grave Ireland The re-release of the 1978 film was banned.
1972 Last Tango in Paris Italy was banned from 1972 to 1986.
1999 Li chiamarono... briganti! Italy was suspended from the cinemas and, nowadays, it is not available on VHS and DVD. For some critics it was banned as being an uncomfortable side of the Italian unification.
1957 The Girl in the Kremlin Israel Banned because it may have harmed Israel's diplomatic relations with Moscow
1957 China Gate Israel Banned in Israel for indulging in excessive cruelty. The Israeli film censorship board indicated the film depicted Chinese and Russian soldiers as "monsters".
1965 Goldfinger' Israel Played for six weeks before the Nazi past of Gert Fröbe, who played the title villain, was disclosed; it was unbanned after a few months after a man went to the Israeli Embassy in Vienna and told staff that Fröbe hid him and his mother from the Nazis (which may have saved their lives).
1973 Hitler: The Last Ten Days Israel Banned in a unanimous decision by the censorship board that Alec Guinness's Hitler was represented in too human a light.
1988 The Last Temptation of Christ Israel Banned on the grounds that it could offend Christians.
2002 Jenin, Jenin Israel Banned by the Israeli Film Ratings Board on the premise that it was libelous and might offend the public; the Supreme Court of Israel later overturned the decision.
2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 Kuwait
2007 Persepolis Lebanon was initially banned in Lebanon 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.
1932 Scram The Netherlands On its initial cinematic release in the Netherlands this Laurel & Hardy film was banned because the scene where the duo sat on a bed with a woman to whom they weren't married was "indecent". Today the film is not banned.
2010 Maladolescenza The Netherlands On 25 March 2010 the Dutch court of Alkmaar has classified several scenes in the movie being child pornography, which is illegal in the Netherlands. That means that possession, distribution and knowingly gaining access to the movie is not allowed.
1980 Cannibal Holocaust New Zealand (also refused release in 2006)
1981 Mad Max New Zealand (VHS release was later approved)
2004 Puni Puni Poemy New Zealand
2005 Bumfights: Cause for Concern New Zealand Bumfights 2: Bumlife
2007 Hostel: Part II New Zealand (excisions recommended but not initially made; later released on DVD in April 2008 with offending material cut)
2005 Vase de Noces New Zealand Banned outright due to "gross, revolting & abhorrent content" (Bestiality, Coprophilia & Animal Violence). Still banned.
2010 I Spit on Your Grave (2010) New Zealand
2011 Megan Is Missing New Zealand
2012 A Serbian Film New Zealand The most recent film banned in New Zealand. Banned outright on May 25, 2012 by the government due to "objectionable content" (Offensive depictions of sexual violence, pedophilia, extreme violence, necrophilia and/or other content that is offensive and abhorrent.
2009 District 9 Nigeria Banned due to accusations of being xenophobic and showing racism towards Nigerians.
2009 2012 North Korea Banned because the year 2012 coincides with Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday. The year had also been designated "the year for opening the grand gates to becoming a rising superpower."
1964–1971 491 Norway Banned due to homosexual themes; a censored version was later released.
1974-1997 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Norway Was banned due to high impact scary violence. Banned lifted in 1997 and re-released uncut with an 18 (Adults only) rating.
1979–1980 Monty Python's Life of Brian Norway Banned due to offensive jokes to religious people (ban later lifted).
1984-2005 "Cannibal Holocaust" Norway Banned due to high impact explicit violence and offensive depictions of animal cruelty. Passed uncut after 2005 with an 18 (adults only) rating)
2009 Ichi The Killer Norway Banned due to high impact violence and cruelty. In January 2009, The Norwegian Media Authority classified the film as "Rejected" due to it's outrageous, abhorrent content and immediately banned the film outright afterwards. The film still remains banned in Norway.
2011 A Serbian Film Norway Banned due to violation of criminal law sections 204a and 382 which deal with the sexual representation of children and extreme violence. Still Banned.
2012 Agent Vinod Pakistan The film was banned by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan, for containing various controversial references to the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.
1977 Hubad na Bayani Philippines Depiction of human-rights abuses during the martial-law era
1972 Last Tango in Paris Portugal was banned for its strong sexual content (unbanned in 1974).
2006 Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Russia Banned as "offensive" (possibly because of Russia's close relationship with Kazakhstan).
2006 The Da Vinci Code Samoa (see Censorship in Samoa for details)
2009 The Cell 2 Samoa (see Censorship in Samoa for details)
2009 Milk Samoa (see Censorship in Samoa for details)
2009 National Lampoon's Van Wilder: Freshman Year Samoa (see Censorship in Samoa for details)
2007 The Kingdom Saudi Arabia
1971 A Clockwork Orange Singapore was banned for over 30 years, before an attempt at release was made in 2006. However, the submission for a M18 rating was rejected, and the ban was not lifted. The ban was later lifted, with film was shown uncut with an R21 rating on 28 October 2011, as part of the Perspectives Film Festival.
1973 The Exorcist Singapore
1973 Last Tango in Paris Singapore
1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Singapore was prohibited from release on the island since the 1970s. Passed uncut after 2004 with an M18 rating.
1995 A Night on the Water Singapore was banned for strong sexuality.
2001 Zoolander Singapore Passed uncut after 2004 with an NC16 rating.
2004 Formula 17 Singapore was banned because it "portrayed homosexuality as normal, a natural progression of society."
Singapore Rebel Singapore was banned for being a political film, which is not allowed in Singapore. In 2009 the film was reviewed by the Political Films Consultative Committee (PFCC) and unbanned, with an M18 rating.
2007 Zahari's 17 Years Singapore was banned because, according to the Government of Singapore, it is "against public interests".
2010 Dr Lim Hock Siew Singapore was banned due to similar reasons for the film Zahari's 17 Years
2006 The Da Vinci Code Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare stated that the film "undermines the very roots of Christianity in Solomon Islands."
1971 Proverka na dorogakh Soviet Union Proverka na dorogakh released in 1986
1971 A Clockwork Orange South Korea
1973 Last Tango in Paris South Korea
1975–1981 Ban Geum-ryeon South Korea The South Korean director Kim Ki-young's film banned for six years, was released with 40 minutes cut.
1979 Apocalypse Now South Korea During President Park Chung-hee's regime, the importation of the film was on hold because of its anti-war theme.
1932 Las Hurdes Spain
1961 Viridiana Spain Although the Film Institute of Spain approved the film's submission to the Cannes Film Festival, after the Catholic Church expressed its indignation, the head of the Film Institute was fired and the film was banned under head of state Francisco Franco for sixteen years.
2009 Saw VI Spain was rated X and thus banned from regular, non-adult cinemas.
2010 A Serbian Film Spain
2006 Aksharaya Sri Lanka (Letter of Fire) was banned for dealing with issues of incest, murder, and rape.
1974–2001 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Sweden Banned due to high gore violence and cruelty. Banned later lifted.
1983 Hell of the living dead Sweden Released uncut on DVD in the mid-2000s
1984–2005 Tenebre Sweden High impact scary violence. Re-released in an uncut version in 2005.
1985 Return of the living dead Sweden Although status remains unclear(?) the first two sequels have been been released on DVD.
1997 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Sweden High impact scary violence and cruelty. Later released on DVD by Sony Pictures.
1999 Anna and the King Thailand
2007 All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Thailand
2007 Halloween Thailand
2008 Frontier(s) Thailand
2008 Funny Games Thailand
2009 Zack and Miri Make a Porno Thailand was banned by the Ministry of Culture due to sexual content (showing how to make their own pornographic video; teens may try to mimic).
2010 Saw VI Thailand
2005 Hostel Ukraine Banned because of promoting eastern European countries as buyers for people who capture and torture people for money. Owning the movie in private is still legal.
2006 Land of the Dead Ukraine The movie was banned due to high level violence and blood and gore. The movie also deceipts the suffering and the agony of people who were forced to eat human flesh in Kharkiv during the German attack there on 1943.
2007 Hostel: Part II Ukraine Same reason as Hostel Part I. Also it is allowed to own it on private.
2009 Brüno Ukraine Homosexual promoting themes and sex scenes.
2009 Saw VI Ukraine The movie contains scenes of brutal gory violence and torture. In the context of "Saw" franchise this is the only part that is banned. Thereby it is illegal to sell it or distribute, since visa is not given.
2010 My iz budushchego 2 (We Are from the Future 2) Ukraine
2010 Lamhaa United Arab Emirates It was 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.
2001 Green Dragon Vietnam (as of 2002)
2002 We Were Soldiers Vietnam (as of 2002)
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II Vietnam
1995 Xich lo (Cyclo) Vietnam
1952 Ciguli Miguli Yugoslavia banned for its satire of socialist bureaucracy. Issued a license for public showing only in 1977.
1971 W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism Yugoslavia banned in Yugoslavia for 16 years.

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