Asia-Pacific News

Indonesian film screening cancelled after Muslim protests

Feb 5, 2010, 9:56 GMT

Jakarta - An Indonesian production company said Friday it had withdrawn a film about a menstruating ghost from the cinemas following protests from conservative Muslims who considered it 'pornographic.'

The film, Hantu Puncak Datang Bulan (The Menstruating Ghost of Puncak), had been due to hit the theatres starting Thursday but screening had been put off indefinitely due to the controversy, said Evelyn Nainggolan, manager for K2K Production.

'I was surprised by the brouhaha surrounding the film,' Nainggolan said. 'The film has passed censorship and it's intended for adults.'

A member of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Scholars, Amirsyah Tambunan, has criticized the film as 'pornographic and violent.'

'The movie contains porn, which can trigger lust and, based on our research, it also contains violence,' Tambunan was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe newspaper.

'We urge the LSF (the Indonesian Censorship Board) to use its power to stop the movie from being screened because it could damage the nation's morals,' he added.

Another Indonesian film-production company late last year cancelled a planned visit by Japanese porn star Maria Ozawa to Jakarta for the shooting of a comedy after protests from hard-line Islamic groups.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country. Most Indonesian Muslims are moderate and women can be seen wearing sleeveless shirts in the country.