The Elton John biopic Rocketman opened in theaters today, though not all markets screened the same final cut of the movie. As the Guardian and Amnesty International report, scenes in the movie depicting any instances of same-sex relationships were removed in Russia under the country’s “homosexual propaganda” provisions, which were passed into law by President Vladmir Putin in 2013.

Scenes depicting drug use were also cut from the Russian version of the movie, according to the Guardian, while the movie’s end title card—which according to reports, stated that Elton John and his husband and are living together and raising children—was edited to state that the singer-songwriter formed an AIDS foundation.

Now, Elton John and the filmmakers behind Rocketman have issued the following joint statement, condemning the censorship:

We reject in the strongest possible terms the decision to pander to local laws and censor Rocketman for the Russian market, a move we were unaware of until today. Paramount Pictures have been brave and bold partners in allowing us to create a film which is a true representation of Elton’s extraordinary life, warts and all. That the local distributor has edited out certain scenes, denying the audience the opportunity to see the film as it was intended is a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people. We believe in building bridges and open dialogue, and will continue to push for the breaking down of barriers until all people are heard equally across the world.

Read our review, “Much Like Elton John, Rocketman Is Best When It’s a Little Too Much,” and our interview with star Taron Egerton over on the Pitch.

https://pitchfork.com/news/elton-john-and-rocketman-filmmakers-condemn-russian-censorship-of-same-sex-scenes