10 Movies That Are Shockingly Banned Overseas

Everybody has a movie or two they’ve seen over the years that can only be described as having “questionable content.” For the most part, the movies that have that kind of content are going to have content that we can all agree might be better left unseen by a large portion of a movie-going audience. On the other hand, there are places in the world that have placed bans on movies that you’re likely going to be quite shocked to see. Check out our list of 10 movies that are shockingly banned overseas and tell us what you think.

300

Count the government of Iran as one of those who is not a fan of this movie. The country banned 300 because it feels as though it depicted Iranian people as “demons without culture, feeling or humanity.”

Borat

This was a movie that was banned by Kazakhstan when it was first released because the government didn’t like the way it felt its people were portrayed. The country even sued the star of the movie but in 2012, the Kazakh government said the film had actually done wonders for its tourism.

2012

2012 was not banned in North Korea because the country’s leaders had a real problem with the subject matter. It was more the fact that the year was the centenary of the birth of Kim Il-Sung, the nation’s founder.

2012 was supposed to be a lucky year because of this fact and the despots that run the country didn’t want anything to mar the happy occasion. The end of the world certainly counted.

Schindler’s List

Indonesia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Malaysia have all banned their citizens from seeing Schindler’s List for the simple reason that they are predominantly Muslim and they have a problem with the Jewish population. Many of these countries were angered that Jews were portrayed as “smart” and “strong” while the Nazis were depicted as evil monsters.

The Simpsons Movie

Burma hates The Simpsons Movie because the colors red and yellow are prominently featured. Yes, it’s because of two colors featured in the movie. This is because Burma is at odds with political parties in neighboring Thailand known as the yellow shirts and red shirts. Because of the colors, the movie was not allowed to screen in Burma.

Rambo IV

Myanmar banned Rambo IV for some rather obvious reasons. The country’s people are basically portrayed as crazy nut jobs who love to murder for no reason. Of the movies on this list, that is likely the best reason out there to ban a movie.

Sex and the City 2

The United Arab Emirates didn’t ban Sex and the City 2 because the sexual nature of the program. Instead, the movie was banned in the country because it was actually set there (despite not being allowed to film there) and took a couple of shots at the region’s dress code and other traditions.

Milk

Despite the fact that Sean Penn won many awards for his role as the first openly gay elected official in the United States, Samoa had a problem with the film because of its homosexual subject matter. While there is a movement to lift the ban, the government still hasn’t approved this film just yet.

Zack And Miri Make A Porno

Trinidad & Tobago, Malaysia, and Thailand all decided that this movie was too racy to allow its citizens to see. The movie earns the honor of being one of the most banned movies on this list thanks to the trio of uptight nations.

Brokeback Mountain

This movie certainly caused a stir, thanks to its homosexual overtones, but most places were still willing to screen it. That isn’t the case in China, where homosexuality is illegal and this movie is banned.