1. North Korea Banned 2012 Because It Was Kim Il Sung's Birthday
North Korea is a country with a mixed film history. Despite his unflattering depictions in the likes of Team America, former Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il actually loved the cinema, even writing a book about it. His son Kim Jong-un, meanwhile, was the centre of a scandal after he was killed in the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy The Interview. It's the latter scandal whose ripple effects are still being felt some believe the Sony leak was retaliation for the film but the country had already had it up to here with blockbuster cinema. 2012 was a disaster movie designed to tie in with fears of the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world; but that year was also Kim Il-sung's 100th birthday. In North Korea, 2012 (the year) was designated as the year for opening the grand gates to becoming a rising superpower. When 2012 (the film) suggested that John Cusack and his kids would be trying to outrun apocalyptic natural disasters in that year instead, it was taken as a seriously offensive slight against the country. Not only did they ban the film, but making or viewing pirated copies lead to arrests and people being charged with grave provocation against the development of the state. Imagine doing jail time for a Roland Emmerich film... Which other films were banned for ridiculous reasons around the world? Share your favourites below in the comments thread.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
