Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Snow White will not be shown in Lebanese cinemas. The country’s General Security agency has reportedly refused approval for the film’s release, citing lead actress Gal Gadot’s outspoken support for Israel and long-standing calls from activists to boycott her work.
Gadot, who served in the Israeli military and has repeatedly endorsed Israeli government positions on social media, has been a flashpoint in Lebanon before. Her earlier film Wonder Woman was also blocked, with authorities arguing that hosting her movies contradicted both Lebanese law and public sentiment toward the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The new ban extends that logic into a space usually associated with family entertainment rather than overt politics.
Supporters of the decision frame it as a principled stance aligned with Lebanon’s official position on Israel and with wider boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns. Critics argue that such bans do little to change geopolitical realities while limiting cultural choice at home and further isolating Lebanese audiences from mainstream global releases.
The Snow White controversy also highlights a larger structural issue: Lebanon’s censorship system, in which films are vetted by General Security before distribution. While some cuts or bans focus on sexual content or religious sensitivities, others, like this case, centre on the politics of cast and crew members. For cinema owners still recovering from the pandemic and economic crisis, every blocked film is also a lost revenue stream.
Whether or not viewers personally planned to watch Disney’s latest fairy-tale reboot, the debate around it touches on familiar Lebanese questions: Where is the line between cultural consumption and political complicity? Who gets to draw that line — the state, activists, or individual ticket buyers? And how much power should any one actor, however controversial, have over what an entire country can or cannot watch?
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