States in the United States, for instance, possess the authority to declare some films to be pornographic and to put a stop to them. In Iran, all films that are thought to be against Islamic morality are prohibited. The most potent censor body in the world, the CBFC in India, has the authority to ban films. Over time, a nation’s list of prohibited films evolves. The content that follows focuses on the Top 10 Banned Movies in the World, particularly in the nations with the strictest censorship. Also, if you’d like, be aware of where to view the prohibited films.
10. Camp X-Ray (2014)
Released in 2014, Camp X-Ray is an American independent drama film based on the detention facility Camp X-Ray at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. It is directed and scripted by Peter Sattler and stars Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi, with John Carroll Lynch, Lane Garrison, and Joseph Julian Soria in supporting roles.
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IMDb Rating: 6.9/10 | Genre: Drama, War
Movie Banned in: Cuba
9. King of the Sands (2013)
Released in 2013, King of the Sands is a controversial movie on the life of Prince Abdulaziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud), founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The film is directed by Najdat Anzour, with the main characters starring Fabio Testi and Bill Fellows in the title roles.
King of the Sands presents an impoverished prince in exile who conquers the land of his ancestors (Najd) and continues to expand to the better part of the Arabian Peninsula. People who achieve such accomplishments seem to be ruthless. He first killed the rivalling Emirs of Ha’il and later massacred his own shock troops, the Ikhwan.
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10 | Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Movie Banned in: Saudi Arabia
8. There Is No Evil (2020)
Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, There Is No Evil is a 2020 Iranian drama film. The film tells four stories concerning the death penalty in this country to criticise the Iranian government’s use of capital punishment. Show how four men choose between their conscience and their duty to carry out the death penalty.
In addition to banning this movie, the government also temporarily prohibited the film’s director from making films in the country, imprisoned him, and prohibited him from travelling outside Iran.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10 | Genre: Drama
Movie Banned in: Iran
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Directed by David Fincher with a screenplay by Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was released in 2011, telling the story of Blomkvist’s investigation to find out what happened to a girl from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years prior. He recruits the help of Salander, a computer hacker.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo becomes a banned movie in Vietnam because its international distributor, Sony Pictures, did not accept the requirement by the Vietnamese National Film Board of cutting out some sensitive scenes.
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 | Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Movie Banned in: Vietnam
6. The Blue Kite (1993)
Released in 1993, The Blue Kite records the lives of a Beijing family from the 1950s and 1960s as they experience the impact of the Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. It’s directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang.
The story is told from the perspective of Tietou, a young boy growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Beijing, and shows the true impact of the Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution on his family.
The Blue Kite was banned in Mainland China because it revealed a typical tragedy caused by poor leadership decisions.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10 | Genre: Drama
Movie Banned in: China
5. Child 44 (2015)
Banned on April 15, 2015, in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Child 44 is a 2015 mystery thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Richard Price, and based on Tom Rob Smith’s 2008 novel of the same name.
The film uncovers a strange and brutal series of child murders during Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. Countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States claimed that the film was a distortion of historical facts and banned the movie.
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10 | Genre: Crime, Drama, History
Movie Banned in: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan
4. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Martin Scorsese’s epic religious drama film The Last Temptation of Christ, which debuted in 1988, tells the story of Jesus Christ’s battles with lust, fear, uncertainty, sadness, and reluctance. Some Christians were offended when they saw Christ in the movie and felt tempted to envision himself having sex.
Because of its blasphemous elements, it was outlawed in the US, Singapore, Argentina, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, and Turkey.
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10 | Genre: Drama
Movies are banned in Argentina, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, and the US.
3. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
In the romantic drama film Last Tango in Paris (1972), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, a newly bereaved American initiates a discreet sexual connection with a young Parisian woman. Due to its unvarnished depiction of sexual assault and mental anguish, the movie sparked debate around the world and was subject to varying degrees of national censorship.
Due to its pornographic content, The Last Tango in Paris was outlawed in Argentina, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Venezuela. Brazil’s government banned the movie from 1972 until 1979 on the grounds that it was an attempt to subvert morality and good behaviour.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10 | Genre: Crime, Sci-Fi
Movie Banned in: Canada, the UK, Brazil, Ireland, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea
2. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
In Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 romantic drama film Last Tango in Paris, a newly bereaved American initiates a discreet sexual relationship with a young Parisian woman. The film caused international controversy and attracted varying degrees of official censorship in different nations due to its unvarnished depiction of sexual assault and emotional distress.
Argentina, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Venezuela outlawed the Last Tango in Paris due to its obscene content. The movie was outlawed in Brazil from 1972 to 1979 because the government saw it as an attempt to undermine morality and good behaviour.
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10 | Genre: Drama, Romance
Movie Banned in: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and Venezuela
1. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman, and based on the same-titled novel by Dan Brown, published in 2003. Starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow, Jean Reno, and Paul Bettany, the movie is the first in the Robert Langdon film series.
Many nations have banned the film because it was deemed problematic due to its religious content. The Da Vinci Code was prohibited in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Pakistan due to its blasphemous nature. Likewise, it was prohibited in Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and Vatican City due to its spiritually sensitive content.
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10 | Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Movie Banned in: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Vatican City, and China
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