KUWAIT! DISNEY! BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! WHAT IS THE CONNECTION?

Beauty And The Beast pulled from Kuwait cinemas amid content concerns… <!– Changed to

from : DANTE-2946 –>

The film includes what has been called Disney’s first “gay moment” for a character. 

Disney’s Beauty And The Beast has been pulled from cinemas in Kuwait after censors raised concerns over the film’s content.

The live-action version of the animated classic, which stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the beast, includes what has been called Disney’s first “gay moment” for a character.

The film, which broke box office records in the UK after taking in £18.4 million over its opening weekend, has been showing in the predominantly Muslim country of Kuwait since Thursday.

However, people who had purchased tickets to see the movie on Monday received text messages from Kuwait’s National Cinema Company informing them that screenings were cancelled due to “unforeseen difficulties”.

Duaij Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a board member at the National Cinema Company, which operates 11 of Kuwait’s 13 cinemas, told the Associated Press a newly edited version of the film may be back in cinemas later this week.

Character LeFou, played by Josh Gad, is the sidekick to the story’s villain Gaston and “is confused about his sexuality”, according to director Bill Condon, who also described a brief scene as a “gay moment”.

Beauty And The Beast (2016 Disney Enterprises)

Al-Sabah said the concerns centre on the scene in question.

“We were requested to stop the screening and further censor the movie for things that were deemed offensive by the Ministry of Information’s censorship department,” Al-Sabah said.

Last week, Disney shelved the release of the film in Malaysia after refusing to cut the scene to appease censors.

Also, a Russian politician wants the Disney remake of Beauty and the Beast to be banned across the country, claiming it breaches its law against “gay propaganda”.

According to the BBC, one Russian MP described the film as “shamless propaganda of sin”, while the Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said a decision will be made after Russian officials view the movie.

The movie has been praised for it’s “gay moment”, where the character of LeFou, played by Josh Gad, tries to come to terms with his feelings for his male sidekick Gaston.

The BBC reports that a “Russian law prohibits the spreading of “gay propaganda” among minors”, which a 2013 legislation describes homosexuality  as “non-traditional sexual relations”.

A Russian actor has also spoken out against the film, saying that he will not be taking his children to see the film if it’s allowed to be screened.

And although Russia has approved the film, the country has banned children under 16 from watching it.

The film tells the fairy tale of a monstrous beast and a young woman, played by Emma Watson, who fall in love.

The cast includes Ewan McGregor, Dan Stevens, Luke Ecans and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

It is due to hit New Zealand cinemas on the 30th of March, and we can’t wait to see the film!