An animated film was prevented from shooting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for containing a kissing scene between individuals of the same sex, in this case, two 'women'. It is Pixar Studio's "Lightyear", the first film from the production company to contain such a scene.

With this measure no UAE cinema is to screen the film, as it is understood to "violate the rules relating to media content in force in the United Arab Emirates," according to the media regulatory office.

The Gulf State, which includes the emirate of Dubai in particular and has a Ministry of Tolerance, is relatively liberal compared to its neighbors, but is still governed by numerous restrictions in the political and social aspect.

According to that body under the Ministry of Culture and Youth, all films "are subject to monitoring and evaluation prior to the date of exhibition to the public in order to ensure that the contents broadcast are appropriate with regard to age rating."

The Media Regulatory Office announced that the animated film Lightyear, which is scheduled for release on June 16th, is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country's media content standards. pic.twitter.com/f3iYwXqs1D

- مكتب تنظيم الإعلام (@uaemro) June 13, 2022

Questioned by French news agency AFP, the Ministry did not respond to requests for clarification about the "norms" violated by Lightyear, and posters of the film have already been posted in the streets of Dubai.

This ban comes six months after the country announced that films shown in its theaters would no longer be censored, but only rated according to the age of the viewers, with a new category of works banned for those under 21.

Censorship is a widespread practice in the Arab world, especially in the very conservative Gulf region. Movies that contain scenes considered harmful to morals are often cut or even banned altogether.

In April, Saudi Arabia asked Disney to remove "LGBTQ references" from Marvel's film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so that it could not be shown in theaters in the ultraconservative kingdom neighboring the Emirates.

In recent years, the Emirate has adopted social reforms presented as liberal to attract more expatriates, and the country is made up of about 90% foreigners from all over the world.

Despite the reforms, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch recently accused the authorities of criminalizing "vague acts" such as any behavior that "offends modesty and public morality" or that "incites a life of sin."