Inside Politics reporter
Documentary “Melania,” a story centered on American first Lady Melania Trump and the developments weeks before her husband, President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, has been pulled from theatre release in South Africa.
According to a New York Times report, the scheduled release of the biopic worldwide has been pulled from theaters.
The film’s local distributor, Filmfinity, announced on Wednesday that it would no longer proceed with the release.
“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in [the] territory,” said Thobashan Govindarajulu, Filmfinity’s head of sales and marketing.
He reportedly declined to specify what developments prompted the move but emphasized that the company was not pressured to cancel. The decision was first reported by News24.
Directed by Brett Ratner, his first Hollywood project since facing sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, the documentary follows Melania Trump in the weeks leading up to her husband’s second inauguration.
The cancellation comes amid strained relations between South Africa and the U.S president.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has repeatedly spread misrepresented claims of “genocide” against South Africa’s white minority and imposed punishing tariffs.
Mark Sardi, chief executive of Ster-Kinekor, one of South Africa’s largest theater chains, reportedly indicated that Filmfinity had previously assured him the film complied with all local regulations.
“Our basic position would be we’re not in the business of censorship,” Sardi said, adding that he believed the decision was likely commercial, influenced by “a whole lot of current issues.”
South Africa’s Film and Publications Board confirmed it was not aware of the film being pulled.
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