An American gay movie which was supposed to premiere last Friday at the Silverbird Cinemas in Lagos, South West Nigeria, was stopped from being shown by the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, regulators of the film and video industry in the country.

•A scene from the suspended gay movie

The movie, I Love You Phillip Morris, which stars U.S. top actor, Jim Carrey, was postponed four times in the United States before it was finally released in May 2010, two years after it was filmed.

In the semi-gay movie described as obnoxious by European audience, Jim Carrey plays a gay con man who falls in love with his prison cellmate, Ewan McGregor.

P.M.NEWS observed last Friday that I Love You Phillip Morris was already listed by Silverbird Cinemas and was to be shown in the afternoon when it was suddenly cancelled.

An enraged movie-goer who had come to the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island to watch the gay movie was seen yelling at the Silverbird staff who could not explain why the movie was suddenly withdrawn.

“Is it because it is about homosexuality?” he asked, adding “you should remove it from your website then.”

The Censors Board’s Zonal Director in the South West, Mr. Edward Edion, who spoke with P.M.NEWS on phone yesterday, confirmed the story but denied reports that the movie was banned outright.

According to him, the movie was stopped from being shown last Friday because it had not been properly classified.

“During our screening, we discovered that there was a scene that had to do with homosexuality and as such it was not okay for every member of the public to watch it. That was why we stopped the movie from being shown to enable us reclassify it.

“After its proper classification and with the final decision by our headquarters in Abuja, we’ll know the next step to take,” he said.

Edion, however, disclosed that the previews of the movie were allowed on air because of a special concession given to movie distributors such as Silverbird, Ozone and few others.

He said: “Nigeria is suffering today because movies are made mainly as home videos while the money, all over the world, is in the theatres. That is why we are encouraging even the local movie producers to take their movies to the theatres.”

Written by Bad Santa screenwriters Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the film is a dark comedy based on the true story of Steven Jay Russell (Carrey) who gets sent to prison for insurance fraud, and subsequently falls in love with his cellmate (McGregor).

The movie was first released in Europe and Taiwan. With straight actors playing gay roles being such a trend, the film struggled for years to find its place in U.S. theatres. The movie was to be released in the U.S. by Consolidated Pictures Group. It was filmed in 2008 and was screened at Sundance Film Festival on 18 January 2009.

The following countries and cities have already released the movie: France, Monaco, Russia, Taiwan, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Japan, United Kingdom, Ireland, Philippines, Czech Republic, Romania, Iceland, Italy and recently it premiered in Norway.

@shadrach77
"I Love You Phillip Morris" will start showing in the U.S. from October 2010. Its quite a controversial movie from what I've been hearing.
The movie was originally scheduled to start showing from this week in Nigerian cinemas but it was later withdrawn.

the why didn't they ban broke back mountain?

I happened to have watch this movie, and seriously, there isn't anything sexual or offensive about it. No nudity, no nothing! So unless a movie with a gay theme is outrightly deemed offensive, I donno was up with the ban.

dominique:

the why didn't they ban broke back mountain?

Brokeback Mountain wasn't shown in Nigerian Cinemas. Was it? So I do not see the relevance of bringing it up here.

Just making noise about nothing.Classify the bloody film and let viewers decide whether the storyline is offensive.Stupid Nigerian Censors board with a bunch of idiots

During our screening, we discovered that there was a scene that had to do with homosexuality and as such it was not okay for every member of the public to watch it

ummm duh. only folks who want to watch it would get the damn ticket to see it.

is not as if they are showing it for free in the market square.

Well done censors board,brace up for more challenges as the times are evil and more of such satanic movies are on their way

And this sensor bord has been vetting and approving all the rubbish Nigerians have been acting??


These Idiots rated Transformer II 18 and my kid brother couldnt see the movie till he came on vacation here. Do they even know that the movie was intended for young viewers.

do they censor all these Ghana soft porn that find their way into the country?

Adido:

I happened to have watch this movie, and seriously, there isn't anything sexual or offensive about it. No nudity, no nothing! So unless a movie with a gay theme is outrightly deemed offensive, I donno was up with the ban.

Brokeback Mountain wasn't shown in Nigerian Cinemas. Was it? So I do not see the relevance of bringing it up here.

of course it was advertised on silverbird cinemas, so i believe it was shown. the issue NVCB has with that movie is the title. if it diddn't reveal the gay nature of the movie, it would have scaled through their ban just like brokeback did.

Silverbird Cinemas,are you encouraging it?

How can I pay to watch a gay movie?

ummm duh. only folks who want to watch it would get the damn ticket to see it.

is not as if they are showing it for free in the market square.

Of course, it's not free in the market square but you have to know the class the movie you are going to watch is to know what to expect.

Well done, NFVCB

hey, i have seen this movie and its really not a mad movie, it has a couple of awkward scenes tho, but its something that can be aired with the 18 mark on it, i wonder why the nigerian censors board has all the parental guidance bullshit whn they dont bother implementing it.

so some people would like to advertise gay movie and expect people to come pay to see it

nonsense

I even heard the film is based on a true story.

such movies should not be shown to d general public.
they should be highly classified, not outright ban.
people have the right to watch whatever they wish to watch even if it's indecency.

This our useless censors board self. they dont seem to understand how this world works!

emmydee:

such movies should not be shown to d general public.
they should be highly classified, not outright ban.
people have the right to watch whatever they wish to watch even if it's indecency.

This our useless sensors board self. they dont seem to understand how this world works!

Looks like you are speaking from both sides of your mouth here.

The Censors board has to do their job properly because you can't tell me to come and eat poison wrapped in a beautiful pack. Let people know exactly what they are paying to watch.

Whether it is based on true story or pure fiction is out of it. You can't subtly introduce people to sodomy after parting with their had earned cash! You Babylonians        

If it is actually a gay movie, there is nothing bad if it is banned.

Any indecent material should be sent to the dustbin. Enough of this neo-colonialism

********************indifferent**************

moves on

Gays and Nigerians. What does a gay movie have to do with the current situation of Nigeria?

We've even got dem fcu.king gays in the so called Censor Boards!

Please talk about more important, money making, cash earning, eye candy things. Next thing people will start talking about how mammy water prevented the construction of the river niger. Nonesense!

E dey pain me o gaga.

interesting

These people are just idiots, i watched it in march 2010 when it was released in the UK, its a true life comedy drama and really didnt have any naughty bits or anything close to it .

It is just so annoying when they try to make out like they are an authority to be reckoned with , but in actual fact they are just an absolute waste of office space , this is probably just so we know that they r working, bloody dunderheads . Censors freaking board my as?. Bunch of illiterates

yea i have watched this movie no scene is bad at all cos no sexual scene no nude nothing bad about it

Nigeria  -  A nation of full hypocrites. Right from the leaders down to the followers.









The Chairman he Chairman have spoken: http:///cvaTtm

it is NOT a gay movie, its a true story about a conman who just happened to be gay, it doesnt not glorify homosexualism in any way, a mature audience will be discreet about this. Agreed it is unsuitable for kids but if its banned then u miss jim carrey's liveliest performance till date.