Lebanon reverses ban on Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Post’
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Interior Ministry will allow the release of Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “The Post,” overturning a ban by the General Security authority, a senior official said Wednesday.
The security body had on Monday announced it was banning the Hollywood thriller to comply with an Arab League boycott targeting supporters of Israel.
In a rare move, the Interior Ministry chose not to sign off on the decision by General Security, which in addition to controlling Lebanon’s borders, is responsible for censoring films, plays, and books.
“Interior Minister Nohad Mashnouk is going to allow the film to be shown,” a senior ministry official told AFP.
The company distributing the film in Lebanon confirmed that the film, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks would be released in cinemas in Beirut and elsewhere on Thursday.
The acclaimed production tells the behind-thescenes story of the 1971 publication by The Washington Post of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed the lies behind US involvement in the Vietnam War.
Last year, Lebanese authorities banned “Wonder Woman” hours before it was due to premiere, following a campaign against its lead actress, Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli army.
Lebanon is divided on the boycott-driven bans, with some welcoming them as a bulwark against the “cultural normalization” of Israel’s occupation.
Banned films can often be found in bootleg movie shops across the country for as little as one dollar, and even blacklisted books can sometimes be found in regular bookstores.
The General Security and its censorship bureau have been inconsistent in their application of a cultural boycott. Several previous Spielberg films have played in Lebanon, including “The Adventures of Tintin,” “The BFG,” and “Bridge of Spies.”
Lebanese cinemas were already showing “Jungle” when they were advised to pull it, said Isaac Fahed, the Sales & Distribution Manager at Grand Cinemas, a Middle East cinema chain.