- 17
- Apr.
- 2025
Once again, censorship has struck the worlds of art and culture in Lebanon, where the latest live-action adaptation of Snow White—the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale—has been banned from theaters. The children who were eagerly awaiting this new Disney film are the ones paying the price. The film has also been banned in Kuwait. The reason? The casting of an Israeli actress.
Ninety years after Disney’s pioneering animated version, Snow White is returning to the big screen in a live-action remake—screening in cinemas around the world, or almost. Lebanon and Kuwait have decided to outright ban this timeless tale intended for audiences young and old, from ages seven to 77.
Due to the presence of an Israeli actress—namely Gal Gadot—the film has been banned, reinforcing persistent associations and divisions. In a region still marked by turbulence, such casting choices continue to provoke backlash.
In this new version, American actress Rachel Zegler plays Snow White, and Gal Gadot takes on the role of the Evil Queen. According to Variety magazine, the 39-year-old Israeli actress has long appeared on a blacklist of performers banned in Lebanon because of her vocal support for Israel, her country of origin.
A Risk of ‘Public Disorder’
In Lebanon, it was the Interior Minister, Ahmad Hajjar, who signed the ban on Monday, “following a recommendation from the film censorship committee under the General Security Directorate.” The committee claimed that the Israeli actress's presence in the film could “lead to public disorder.”
Lebanon had already, in February 2025, decided to ban the film Captain America: Brave New World on similar grounds—though in that case, the Israeli actress in question was Shira Haas. The decision followed numerous calls for boycotts from Lebanese civil society organizations.
Kuwait: No ‘Cultural Normalization with Israel’
In Kuwait, the daily Al-Qabas reported that the decision to censor the Disney film is in line with the country’s firm stance against any “cultural normalization with Israel.” The ban was also prompted by appeals from civil society organizations.
For the same reasons, Kuwaiti authorities had previously banned the screening of Captain America: Brave New World earlier this year.
A Box Office Flop
After a strong opening in the US and Europe in mid-March, the new Disney film received mixed reviews from global critics and quickly lost steam, now posting disappointing box office numbers.
What remains certain is that these decisions continue to raise questions about the role of politics in the world of entertainment. When will cultural censorship finally come to an end?
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