"Local South African distributor Filmfinity said Wednesday that plans to premiere "Melania" as part of a coordinated worldwide release were officially called off, according to The New York Times (NYT). "Based on recent developments, we've taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in [the] territory," head of sales and marketing Thobashan Govindarajulu said in a statement. He didn't explain the reason for the decision to cancel the highly anticipated film."
"The abrupt change of plans comes amid rising political tension between South Africa and President Donald Trump's administration. Trump highlighted allegations of mass killings of predominantly white farmers in the African nation in the first year of his second term of office. In November, he said he refused to go to the G20 Summit in South Africa due to the allegations."
""Melania" was filmed during the 20 days leading up to the 2025 inauguration and covers the First Lady's perspective as Trump prepared to enter his second term in office, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was produced by Melania's new production company, Muse Films. Sources close to the production claimed Amazon MGM invested $35 million on marketing the film worldwide with likely $15 million spent domestically. An estimated $10 million was spent overseas, making this the highest-ever spend on a documentary."
The South African distributor Filmfinity canceled the planned theatrical release of Melania Trump's first film days before the Jan. 30 premiere and gave no detailed reason. Filmfinity's head of sales and marketing said the decision was internal and denied outside pressure. The cancellation occurs amid heightened political tension between South Africa and the Trump administration, including the president's public allegations about killings of white farmers and his refusal to attend the G20 in South Africa. The documentary was filmed in the 20 days before the 2025 inauguration, produced by Muse Films, and reportedly saw unprecedented marketing investment by Amazon MGM.
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