21 of the World's Most Banned Movies

When it comes to books, my policy is generally to make a point to seek out the ones people try to ban; they’re almost always worthwhile, at least to understand why their ideas are being suppressed. Residents of Florida take note.

That’s true with movies too, but the calculus is a little different. Some banned movies are essential films, full stop; others are problematic but nevertheless worth exploring; still others are cult favorites seemingly only because they are so controversial. As you make your way through the 21 films collected here, your banned-film binge will offer a bit of everything, from brilliance to trash, and even some brilliant trash.

But first: The lists of countries I’ve added to each entry noting where the films are banned isn’t exhaustive; countries don’t generally publicize lists of banned films, and sometimes movies remain “banned” only because no one’s tried for a new release. There are also countries, like Afghanistan, that ban movies pretty much by default, so no one attempts a release in the first place (anything with queer content isn’t going to fly in Russia, China, or much of the Middle East, for example). It’s complicated, so the countries you’ll see are the places where the film in question was most vocally challenged.