Six Arab countries have banned Steven Spielberg’s new film version of “West Side Story” due to the movie’s inclusion of a transgender character.
The countries that will not screen the film are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, according to a report in Variety.
The role in question, named Anybodys, is a transgender character played by the non-binary actor Iris Menas.
Films with LGBTQ+ characters are often censored to various degrees by Arab nations.
Directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, with an updated screenplay by Tony Kushner, the new film is set to hit theaters in Israel on December 9.
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The tragic love story of Tony and Maria — set against racially charged gang rivalry in New York — has been an American cultural milestone since it first appeared on Broadway in 1957 and as a film four years later.
Spielberg’s dazzling $100-million remake is an act of homage that also seeks to highlight the political messages at the heart of the story.
The gangs — the Puerto Rican Sharks and white Jets — are “really fighting about race,” the 74-year-old director said.
AFP contributed to this report.
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