The screening of a disputed film about Tsar Nicholas’ love affair with a ballerina has been canceled in Moscow, Russia’s National Film Foundation told state-run TASS news agency on Monday.
“The screening of the film is canceled for today, this is due to technical reasons,” an unidentified Gosfilmofond spokeswoman said.
The foundation oversees a cinema in central Moscow which was due to screen “Mathilde” ahead of its general release in late October. The canceled screening was reportedly scheduled to meet the Oct. 1 deadline for the movie to be nominated for an Oscar.
Director Alexei Uchitel’s biopic on the Tsar’s affair with Polish ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska has sparked controversy among Russian Orthodox activists, including State Duma Deputy Natalia Poklonskaya, who say the film offends religious believers.