Morocco Allows ’Lightyear’ Screening Despite LGBTQ Content, Defying Regional Bans

"Lightyear" will not suffer the same fate as the British film "The Lady Of Heaven" whose distribution was censored by the authorities after a suggestion from the Supreme Council of Ulema. For conservatives, the fact that there are passages in this animated film that promote homosexuality is sufficient reason to ban its distribution in Morocco, as is the case in Indonesia, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Cinemas like Ciné Atlas that have accepted and scheduled the screening of Lightyear are being attacked by Internet users. Faced with the controversy, Ciné Atlas clarified on its Facebook page that the film has received a general audience visa for Morocco and that Ciné Atlas has no censorship role. "Dear viewers, we are posting this unusual message because our social media manager is being harassed with questions about Lightyear and the controversy surrounding this animated film. Ciné Atlas is not the distributor of the film in Morocco."

It specifies that its programming respects the directives given by the authorities and that it is not up to them to boycott the distribution of an authorized production. "Following the many messages we have received, we have questioned the company that distributes the film in the Kingdom, which has confirmed to us that it has received a general audience visa for Morocco," explains Ciné Atlas.