The Lebanese government's censorship committee announced Sunday that director Steven Spielberg's new film, "The Post," will not be screened in the country.
The decision, handed down mere days before the movie was slated to debut, cited Spielberg's "Israeli connections." The committee said Spielberg was blacklisted over the fact that several scenes from his 1993 movie "Schindler's List" had been filmed in Jerusalem.
Entertainment magazine "The Hollywood Reporter" quoted an entertainment industry source as saying that the decision came as a complete surprise, as in the past three years five movies that were either directed or produced by Spielberg were screened in Lebanon without issue.
"The Post," starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, is based on the true story of the role of The Washington Post and its journalists in the leaking of the Pentagon Papers, classified documents on U.S.-Vietnam relations that were leaked to the press in 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War. The movie, which premiered last weekend in Israel, had been slated to debut in Lebanon this Thursday.
The committee's decision was submitted to Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, who has the authority to veto the decision.
This is not the first time that Lebanon has boycotted Hollywood blockbusters because of their connections to Israel. Last May, "Wonder Woman" was rejected because the movie stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli military.
"The Post" had a limited release on Dec. 22 in the U.S and enjoyed a broader release last Thursday. It earned a reported $18.6 million in its first weekend. Filmed on a budget of some $50 million, "The Post" is expected to be a contender for many of this year's Academy Awards.
