Qatar bans transgender biopic 'The Danish Girl'

Authorities in Qatar have banned the screening of a film about a Danish artist who undergoes one of the world's first sex change operations, officials have announced.

The Danish Girl, which also contains several scenes of nudity in its uncensored version, features Oscar-winning British actor Eddie Redmayne as transgender pioneer Lili Elbe.

According to local media, the film had been screening in local cinemas across the country's capital city of Doha, before the ministry of culture, arts and heritage announced the banning of the film from local cinemas.

Translation: We would like to inform you that we have contacted the concerned department and the screening of the Danish film is now banned from cinemas. We thank your unwavering vigilance.

The ministry's decision came in response to public outrage, after viewers launched the Arabic language hashtag StopTheDanishGirlScreening in protest at the "depravity" of the film.

Social media users condemned the movie, which they said went against the country's religious and local cultural norms.

Translation: And no to any film that goes against our religion, morals and traditions. We hope that the people responsible for the screening of such low films will be held accountable.

Translation: We hope the relevant authorities intervene and ban the film. We also hope that cinemas change their policies that allow the screening of such films.

Many users were surprised the film was even released prior to its ban.

Other users disagreed with the government's decision to ban the film.

Translation: There is nothing out of the ordinary about the film and it tells a true story. The real depravity is in the minds of those who call for the ban.

Censorship in Qatar

Qatari authorities have previously censored and banned other films that they considered contradicting to local religious and traditional values.

The Wolf of Wall Street, which featured explicit scenes of nudity and drug use, had nearly a quarter of its content - 50 minutes of the film - cut out before it was screened in Qatar.

Other films, such as Noah and Exodus, were banned due to sensitive religious themes.

A 2014 survey conducted by Northwestern University in Qatar found that censorship of "offensive" content was favoured in Qatar, according to Doha News.

According to the report, eight out of 10 people surveyed in Qatar said it was appropriate to delete scenes that could be considered offensive.

"This support for censorship and government monitoring of entertainment content is observed across all facets of the population, except, perhaps, among Western expatriates in Qatar," the report stated.