South Africa’s leading cinema chains have pulled a documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump on the eve of its release, with the local distributor citing “the current climate” as the reason, according to media reports.
The film, titled Melania, was absent from the listings of Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor theatres on Thursday, a day before its scheduled international release on January 30.
The media reported on Wednesday that the South African distributor, Filmfinity, had abruptly withdrawn the documentary. “Given the current climate, the film will no longer be releasing theatrically in this territory,” the outlet quoted Filmfinity’s head of marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, as saying.
The distributor did not specify what was meant by “the current climate”, and attempts by AFP to obtain further comment were unsuccessful.
Nu Metro confirmed to AFP on Thursday that it had been instructed by Filmfinity to remove the film from its schedule. “The rights sit with Filmfinity, and it is at their request that we are not releasing it,” the cinema chain said in a statement.
The decision comes amid strained relations between South Africa and the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has criticised Pretoria over a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the South African government is responsible for a so-called “genocide” against the white Afrikaner community and has invited members of that community to resettle in the United States.
