Kuwait bans Talk to me, the film where a transgender actor appears – Middle East – International

2023-08-10 20:50:19

Kuwait has once again exerted its control over the film industry by banning another film in the country. This time, the film in the crosshairs is the horror film titled ‘Talk to Me’, in Spanish Háblame.

At first, the Kuwait Ministry of Information did not comment on the matter, but this Thursday Lafi Subaiei, president of the film censorship committee, quoted by Kuna, the official press agency, stated that his body intends to “prohibit everything that threatens public morality, public order and traditions, by introducing foreign ideas into society”.

In the Persian Gulf states, such as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is prohibited, it is common for any film that addresses issues related to the LGBTIQ+ community to be systematically censored.

And it is that a prominent feature of this horror film, which is sweeping film critics, is the presence of Zoe Terakes in its cast, a non-binary transgender person.

Although the film, which has captured the attention of the public in these Middle Eastern nations, does not explicitly address LGBTIQ+ themes in any of its scenes, the presence of a transgender person triggered its ban.

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This is not the first time Kuwait has taken censorship measures, as it has banned several films in recent months, sparking controversy in the film community. Some of the recently banned movies were Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse or Lightyear, both with LGBTIQ+ people in their stories.

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On Sunday, Terakes condemned the decision to ban the film in Kuwait, calling it a “dehumanizing act.”

“I am a trans actor who got the role. I am not a subject. I am a person,” added the actor in a statement on his social networks.

Barbie was also censored in Kuwait

Kuwait also banned the broadcast of the global blockbuster Barbie in its movie theaters on Wednesday for “offending public morals,” according to the authorities of this very conservative Gulf oil country.

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Loki).

According to the Ministry of Information, before making their decision, the authorities requested the “removal of some obscene scenes that promoted unacceptable behavior,” Subaiei said, without specifying which moments in the film he was referring to.

INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP