Controversial Melania Trump documentary pulled from South African release
US president Donald Trump with his wife, Melania Trump at the premiere of her new documentary "Melania".
Image: Instagram
The documentary Melania, a high-profile look into the life of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump during the 20 days surrounding her husband’s return to power, has been abruptly withdrawn from theatrical release in South Africa.
The film was scheduled to premiere today, January 30, across the country’s major cinema chains, including Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro, as well as independent venues such as Cape Town’s Labia Theatre.
Filmfinity, the local distributor, confirmed the cancellation earlier this week.
According to News24, the company’s head of marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, stated, “Given the current climate, the film will no longer be released theatrically in [the] territory.” He did not specify what "climate" he was referring to.
IOL reached out to the distribution company for further comment on the recent developments, but did not receive a response.
The decision comes at a time of significant diplomatic strain between the South African government and the administration of President Donald Trump.
Trump has frequently criticised Pretoria’s domestic policies and has repeated widely discredited claims that a "genocide" is being committed against South Africa's white population.
Despite these tensions, the exact motivations behind the distributor's last-minute reversal remain unconfirmed.
Nu Metro clarified its position to MyBroadband, stating, “We won’t be releasing Melania, as we don’t hold the rights to the film. The rights sit with Filmfinity, and it’s at their request that we are not releasing it.”
Beyond the political backdrop, the documentary’s production has faced its own share of scrutiny.
The film was directed by Brett Ratner, whose career largely stalled in 2017 following multiple, widely reported allegations of sexual misconduct.
Though Ratner has denied these allegations, his involvement has remained a point of discussion for audiences and exhibitors.
The film represents a major investment for Amazon, which reportedly paid $35 million to market the project and $40 million for the rights.
The documentary has been framed by supporters as a necessary perspective on a public figure they believe has been unfairly treated by the media.
US media owner and commentator Armstrong Williams described the film as a "corrective" and a "reclamation of agency."
In a statement, Williams said: “Melania Trump is the most maligned, ignored, and deliberately misunderstood First Lady in modern American history. That judgment is not ideological; it is factual. No recent First Lady has been subjected to such sustained dismissal by the press, not through scandal or wrongdoing, but through a willful refusal to engage her as a serious person in her own right. And yet, she endured—with discipline, restraint, and dignity.”
He further noted that the release is “more than a cultural event,” but rather an opportunity for a woman who has spent years “being spoken about, spoken over, and spoken past” to finally be heard.
Melania Trump echoed this sentiment in an interview with Fox & Friends, stating that through the film, the public "will see how I work, who I am, how I communicate with people, and they will know me a little bit more."
The film held its premiere on Thursday night, attended by both the President and the First Lady.
President Trump, who described the film on Truth Social as "A MUST WATCH," remarked on the red carpet that the movie provided a much-needed sense of "glamour."
However, while the film moves forward in other global markets, South African audiences will not see it on the big screen today as originally planned.