The Ministry of Culture has refused a distribution certificate for the Yakut film "Candidate." The officials who made the decision might have been displeased with one of the characters cross-dressing as a woman. This was reported on September 22nd by the SakhaDay publication, citing a source close to the film crew.
The comedy "Candidate," directed by Dmitry Shadrin, has been denied a distribution certificate. The film was rejected as promoting LGBTQ+ themes because one of the characters dresses as a woman. According to SakhaDay, the film might be screened in Yakutia unofficially, along with "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."
The film's director has neither confirmed nor denied this information. The movie is not currently listed in the registry of distribution certificates.
On September 19th, Roskomnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media) demanded the removal of the highest-grossing Yakut film, "Ayta," from online cinemas, citing it as a display of nationalism. The newspaper "Yakutsk Vecherny" published a story on this under the headline "Roskompozor" (Roskom-Disgrace) on its front page.