The Danish Girl banned in Qatar

Eddie Redmayne's critically acclaimed transgender drama The Danish Girl has been banned in Qatar.

In the movie, the British actor plays Lili Elbe, one of the earliest recipients of gender-reassignment surgery, and the role has won him a slew of nominations as Hollywood's awards season gets underway.

However, officials in the conservative Middle Eastern country of Qatar have now pulled the film from cinemas and ruled it can no longer be shown.

"We would like to inform you that we have contacted the concerned department and the screening of the... film is now banned from cinemas. We thank your unwavering vigilance," a statement from Qatar's Ministry of Culture reads.

A representative for Qatar Cinemas, which operates a number of theatres in the country, confirmed to Doha News that screenings of the film have been cancelled.

The movie and its star had been hotly tipped to pick up prizes at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (10Jan16), but lost out to Leonardo DiCaprio and his film The Revenant.