South Africa’s biggest cinema chains have pulled a documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump just ahead of its release, with the local distributor pointing to “the current climate”.

Film Pulled on Eve of Release

The documentary, titled Melania, was set for international release on January 30. But on Thursday, January 29, it was no longer listed on the websites of Nu Metro or Ster Kinekor, the day before it was due to open in cinemas.

According to reporting that included comments from the distributor, the decision was made abruptly, with audiences and cinema listings changing at the last minute.

Distributor Cites “Current Climate”

The South African distributor Filmfinity reportedly dropped the film, with the company’s head of marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, quoted as saying: “Given the current climate, the film will no longer be releasing theatrically in (the) territory.”

No further explanation was provided in the report and it was not clear what “climate” referred to. Attempts to reach a Filmfinity representative for more detail were not immediately successful, according to the same report.

Nu Metro Confirms Withdrawal Request

Nu Metro confirmed it had been instructed to pull the film by Filmfinity.

“The rights sit with Filmfinity, and it’s at their request that we are not releasing it,” Nu Metro said in a statement.

Politics in the Background

The withdrawal lands at a tense moment in South Africa’s relationship with the administration of US President Donald Trump. The South African government has strained ties with Trump’s administration, which has criticised Pretoria on a range of domestic and international policies.

Trump has also repeatedly made claims described as false that South Africa is behind a “genocide” of the white Afrikaans community and has invited them to settle in the United States.

For now, Melania appears to be off the big screen in South Africa, with the distributor holding the rights and giving no public detail beyond the reference to the “current climate”.