Bangladesh’s high court has imposed a six-month ban on Rana Plaza, a film named after the five-story factory in Dhaka that collapsed in 2013, killing more than 1,000 people.
According to the Associated Press, a two-member panel of judges ordered the ban on the film because it breached a previous order by the same court which followed a writ petition objecting to the film’s gruesome scenes of the disaster. The petition was filed by a trade union leader, Islam Rony, who said the film’s producer had not removed the scenes as instructed earlier.
Rana Plaza revolves around the real-life story of a female worker, Reshma Begum, who somehow survived under the rubble for 17 days before being rescued. Directed by Nazrul Islam Khan, the film was scheduled to hit over 100 theaters across the country on Sept. 4 after it got clearance from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board in July.
In light of the six-month ban, the court has separately asked the censor board to explain in four weeks why the clearance certificate to show the movie should not be canceled.
The disaster sparked an outcry at home and abroad about the plight of garment workers in Bangladesh, especially considering the factory was illegally built and was said to have collapsed due to reasons including structural failure. The multiple factories in the complex were supplying garments to leading international companies.
