For three weeks, the few cinemas open in Algeria were decked out in pink to screen the American blockbuster Barbie. As elsewhere in the world, endless queues of spectators filled cinemas that had only come alive on rare occasions during the year. Until Sunday, August 13, when Greta Gerwig's film, already one of the most widely seen on the big screen in history, vanished, as the result of an unexpected decision by the Ministry of Culture.

While the phenomenon continues to break spectator records around the world, Algeria has just joined the list of the few countries that have decided to boycott it. Although not officially announced, the story was broken by the online news site 24H Algérie, which claimed that a note from the Ministry had been sent to all the cinemas in the three wilayas (prefectures) – Algiers, Oran and Constantine – where the film was shown, ordering them to "withdraw it immediately." The film's distributor in Algeria, MD Ciné, was also notified. Seen by 40,000 Algerians before it was banned, Barbie has been withdrawn on moral grounds, according to informed sources. The story was subsequently confirmed by cinemas, which removed the film's poster from their displays.

Many of the viewers were astonished. "When I saw Barbie, the theater was sold out. Entire families had come to see the film. I didn't notice any signs of discontent. That's why I can't understand this decision," says Shahinez, a 29-year-old teacher who saw the film the day after its release in Oran (western Algeria). "There's talk of scenes promoting homosexuality, but I didn't noticed anything to that effect," she added. The Algerian authorities have given no explanation for their ban.

The reaction of the Algerian film industry has been far more intense. An Algerian director and producer contacted by Le Monde, and who requested anonymity, wondered, "If the film was initially scheduled, it was because it had obtained an exhibition visa from the commission that authorizes the distribution of films. So I think it's outrageous to then ban the film. It's sad to declare war on a doll."

Director Sofia Djama was one of the first to raise her voice. "As usual, Algeria acted out of mimicry. The film was censored in Kuwait and Lebanon, and now Algeria has suddenly woken up and said that it should be censored here too." In a seven-minute video posted on her networks, the director denounced the "infantilization of Algerian society." "[Algerian leaders] have given in to the voice of populism, the bigotry of fundamentalism and reactionaries. To say that the film does not represent Algerian values ... as if Algerians were a monolithic people where only one thought reigns."

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