Beauty and the Beast won’t be banned in Russia, the country’s culture ministry announced Monday. However, the movie was given a 16+ rating, meaning that only viewers over 16 years old will be admitted to screenings.
“We are issuing an exhibition license to the movie without any problems,” Vyacheslav Tyelnov, head of the culture ministry’s film department, was quoted as saying by KinoPoisk.ru. “The age restriction will be 16+.”
Josh Gad’s character in the film, LeFou, was recently revealed to be gay.
To be exhibited in Russia, a movie has to be issued an exhibition license, which also states age restrictions, if any.
Over the weekend, hard-line Russian legislator Vitaly Milonov called on culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to scrutinize Beauty and the Beast to determine whether it is in line with the Russian law prohibiting “gay propaganda against minors.”
Several years ago, Milonov penned the law, which many observers considered to be a crackdown on the local gay community.
