The First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump‘s, latest documentary, Melania, reportedly will not be released in theaters in South Africa, according to the film’s local distributor. They clarified that they weren’t pressured and that the decision not to release it was entirely their own. However, they did not justify the sudden decision to drop the planned release in the territory.
South Africa will not release Melania Trump’s documentary
Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for the distributor, Filmfinity, recently confirmed that the Melania documentary will not be released in South Africa. Without providing an official reason for this major decision, he added, “Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in the territory.” However, he clarified that they weren’t pressured to pull the movie from theaters, and that it’s solely the company’s decision.
The new documentary was recently promoted by Melania’s husband, President Donald Trump, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to encourage viewers to watch it. He wrote in a tweet, “MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH. Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!”
Directed by Brett Ratner, the documentary chronicles Melania’s life 20 days ahead of the presidential inauguration. She confronts multiple challenges during the transition before officially stepping into her duties as first lady for the second time. It is set to premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center—the historic venue that underwent a name change last year.
In an earlier conversation, the First Lady revealed what inspired her to bring her life to the big screen. She said, “Well, the book was such a success, and I’m very proud, and I get so many messages and letters how they enjoy the book, and they would love — my fans and people — would love to hear more from me. So, I had an idea to make a movie, to make a film, about my life (via Columbus Ledger-Enquirer).”
