Johannesburg, South Africa — Major cinema chains in South Africa have withdrawn a documentary about former US First Lady Melania Trump just days before its scheduled release, citing what the distributor described as “the current climate.”
The documentary, titled Melania, was notably absent from the listings of leading cinema houses Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor on Thursday, a day before its international release slated for January 30.
Local outlet News24 reported that the film’s South African distributor, Filmfinity, made the decision to pull the documentary abruptly. According to the report, Filmfinity’s head of marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, said the film would no longer be released theatrically in the country due to prevailing circumstances.
“Given the current climate, the film will no longer be releasing theatrically in the territory,” Govindarajulu was quoted as saying.
However, no further clarification was provided on what specific factors influenced the decision. Attempts by AFP to reach Filmfinity for additional comment were unsuccessful.
Nu Metro later confirmed the development, stating that the withdrawal was made at the distributor’s request.
“The rights sit with Filmfinity, and it’s at their request that we are not releasing it,” the cinema chain said in a statement.
The move comes amid strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the administration of US President Donald Trump. Tensions have risen over disagreements on several domestic and international issues, including Trump’s repeated and widely disputed claims that South Africa is perpetrating a “genocide” against the white Afrikaans community—claims Pretoria has firmly rejected.
The decision to pull the documentary has sparked debate, with observers questioning whether geopolitical tensions influenced the film’s sudden removal from South African cinemas.
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