Qatar cinemas have banned The Danish Girl due to its transgender theme

The film starring Eddie Redmayne tells the story of Danish painter Lili Elbe, who was one of the first to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the 1920s.

The Danish Girl has received huge critical acclaim but Qatar’s government has stopped it being shown in cinemas.

Some cinemas in Doha had reportedly been screening the film but when complaints began on social media and a citizen reported the cinema to Qatar’s Ministry of Culture, the citizen received the following reply:

“We would like to inform you that we have contacted the concerned administration and the screening of the Danish film is now banned from cinemas. We thank you for your unwavering vigilance.”

Qatar Cinemas later confirmed to Doha News that it had canceled all showings of The Danish Girl.

Qatar is known as a strict conservative and religious nation and the decision has been protested by LGBT groups.

Censorship and heavy editing are also commonplace in Qatar with nearly 50 minutes cut from The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013.

Qatar’s Northwestern University conducted a survey last year where citizens were asked if they agreed with the censorship of potentially offensive scenes. Eighty percent said yes.