Malaysian censors clip the wings of 鈥楻ocketman鈥
Print Edition
Malaysia has censored gay sex scenes in 鈥淩ocketman,鈥 a movie musical based on the life of British singer Elton John, sparking condemnation from art critics yesterday that the country was becoming a 鈥渘anny state.鈥
Film buffs in the Southeast Asian country also took to social media to post criticism of the cuts, which included scenes depicting gay sex and men kissing, after 鈥淩ocketman鈥 was released in Malaysian cinemas last week.
鈥淲e do not allow any scenes that promote LGBTQ in films that are for public viewing,鈥 said Safaruddin Mohammad Ali, who heads Malaysia鈥檚 Film Censorship Board鈥檚 films unit.
鈥淎lthough it is about the real life of Elton John, it is not for him to allow the public to see whatever he does or whatever activities he indulges in that is not our culture.鈥
Sodomy is punishable by up to 20-year imprisonment in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country of 32 million which is also home to many religious minorities.
Safaruddin and the film鈥檚 local distributor, United International Pictures, refused to disclose how many scenes were cut. It has received a rating restricting it to viewers who are 18 and older in Malaysia.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a nanny state,鈥 said Malaysian TV personality and art critic Sharaad Kuttan. 鈥淕overnments today cannot control the representation of the LGBT community and individuals 鈥 they are fighting a losing battle,鈥 he said, referring to the popularity of platforms such as Netflix.
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