By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Indications have emerged that cinemas in South Africa will not be showing a documentary which centres on US First Lady Melania Trump, which is due to be released to the public on Friday.
The head of sales and marketing of South African distributor Filmfinity, told the New York Times and South Africa-based website News24 that the company has decided not to release it but was not explicit about the reasons behind the move.
The film, Melania, is not promoted on the websites of the country’s main cinema chains. Similarly, One Cape Town independent cinema said it was advised by Filmfinity and told not to list it.
Relations between the US and South Africa have seriously deteriorated over the past year.
Amazon has reportedly paid $35m (£25m) to market the film which follows Melania Trump in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration on 20 January last year.
It is also believed that Amazon paid around $40m for the rights to the film.
“Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Filmfinity’s Thobashan Govindarajulu is quoted as saying by the New York Times.
He told News24 that the decision had been taken “given the current climate”.
The executive did not elaborate on what was he meant by “recent developments” or “current climate”.
Filmfinity, which describes itself as the leading film distributor in southern Africa has not made made further comments.
Show times for Melania are not listed on the websites of South Africa’s two main cinema chains, Ster Kinekor and Nu Metro.
Ster Kinekor’s publicity page for Melania is not accessible.
Since Donald Trump came to power a year ago, US relations with South Africa have slumped.
He has been promoting the widely discredited idea that there is a “white genocide” in South Africa. Last May, Trump confronted his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa over the issue in a tense White House meeting.
The US leader has also imposed high tariffs on South African goods and cut aid programmes.
