South African cinema chains have withdrawn from screening the controversial documentary ‘Melania’ about US First Lady Melania Trump, citing unspecified “recent developments” and the “current climate” in bilateral relations. Filmfinity, the leading distributor in southern Africa, informed theater operators not to list the film despite its global release scheduled for Friday.
The documentary, which chronicles Melania Trump’s activities during the 20 days preceding her husband’s second inauguration in January 2023, had received substantial backing from Amazon. The streaming giant reportedly invested $35 million in marketing and approximately $40 million for distribution rights.
Neither Ster Kinekor nor Nu Metro, South Africa’s primary cinema chains, are promoting the film on their platforms. Ster Kinekor’s promotional page remains inaccessible, while Nu Metro’s website lists no showtimes despite previously featuring the documentary on social media.
This development occurs against the backdrop of significantly deteriorated US-South Africa relations over the past year. Tensions escalated following former President Donald Trump’s promotion of the widely disputed ‘white genocide’ theory concerning South Africa’s Afrikaner community. Additional friction points include Trump’s imposition of high tariffs on South African exports, reduction of aid programs, and disagreements over South Africa’s International Court of Justice case against Israel regarding Gaza operations.
The BBC’s attempts to obtain clarification from Filmfinity regarding their specific concerns remain unanswered, leaving the precise motivations behind the cancellation unclear.