Russia’s culture ministry denied it made any recommendations to cut scenes from the film.<\/b>
\nThe Russian version of the Elton John biopic Rocketman omits scenes depicting drug consumption and sexual encounters between men, prompting condemnation from Amnesty International.
Rocketman premieres in the U. S. on Friday and in Russia on June 6. Ahead of its official release, actor Taron Egerton, who portrays John, was praised for his acting and the film was labeled a \u201cblast.\u201d
While the film was commended for being a must-see, Russia\u2019s version was criticized for censoring parts of the movie that violated the law titled \u201caimed at protecting children from information promoting the denial of traditional family values,\u201d also referred to as the \u201cgay propaganda law.\u201d Censored scenes included those that showed kissing or sexual encounters between men and drug consumption, according to Amnesty International.
The closing credits, which allegedly show John and his husband David Furnish, were also censored from the Russian version, Amnesty International said.
\u201cThis homophobic censorship of a film about Elton John is as ridiculous as it is insulting for LGBTI people and anyone in the country who stands for dignity and non-discrimination,\u201d Natalia Zviagina, Director of Amnesty International\u2019s Representative Office in Russia said in a statement. \u201cIt is a sad irony that Sir Elton John himself promised back in 2015 that he would try to positively influence [Russian President] Vladimir Putin\u2019s gay rights attitude.\u201d
A general view at the „Rocketman“ Post Screening Conversation with Taron Egerton hosted by Liam Mayclem at the Historic Castro Theatre on Thursday in San Francisco. Kimberly White\/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
Zviagina added that the censorship \u201cinsults and dehumanizes same-sex relationships\u201d and called for distributors to take steps to immediately restore all the deleted scenes.
Passed in 2013, the \u201cgay propaganda law\u201d bans the \u201cpromotion of nontraditional sexual relations to minors,\u201d according to the international non-government organization Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty International noted the film was rated 18+ so minors would not be permitted into the theater, therefore, it questioned if the censorship was even necessary under the law.
Anton Dolin, a Russian film critic, posted on Facebook about the deleted scenes, which he called \u201cvery obvious\u201d and took particular issue with the film\u2019s ending. Instead of telling viewers John found love, they\u2019re told the musical icon founded a nonprofit dedicated to aiding the fight against AIDS.
A spokesperson for Central Partnership company, the movie\u2019s distributor, told TASS, a Russian news agency, that scenes were cut to comply with Russian law. The Russian Culture Ministry said it did not recommend removing any scenes and placed the decision solely on the distributor.
John previously wrote in an article for The Guardian that some studios wanted to tone down the drug use and sexual encounters so it could be rated PG-13, but he didn\u2019t lead \u201ca PG-13-rated life.\u201d<\/p>\n