The hit Australian horror film Talk To Me has been banned from screening in Kuwait, reportedly solely over the casting of non-binary trans actor Zoe Terakes, who plays a character whose gender identity is never mentioned in the film.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported on the decision, which they confirmed was based entirely on the presence of Terakes, an Australian actor who identifies as non-binary and trans-masculine. A rising star who has appeared in Wentworth and Nine Perfect Strangers, they are also the first trans actor to be cast in a Marvel TV series, with a role in the upcoming superhero show Ironheart. The Guardian has confirmed the decision independently.

Terakes issued a statement on Sunday, describing the decision as being “targeted and dehumanising and means to harm us.

“Our film doesn’t actually ever mention my transness, or my queerness. I am a trans actor who happened to get the role. I’m not a theme. I am a person. Kuwait has banned this fim due to my identity alone,” they wrote in a statement.

“As much as it is very sad to be on the receiving end of this, what is even more heartbreaking is what this precedent means for the queer and trans people of Kuwait. Representation is hope. Representation is a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to keep going, something to hold onto in the dark, a voice that whispers things can be better than they are. Eliminating trans actors on screens will not eliminate trans people (as much as the government of Kuwait wishes it would) but it will eliminate a lot of hope.”

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“We are a community that has learnt to depend on each other, because cis people have historically been no help. Therefore, our survival is so dependent on our ability to look to each other, to see each other. My heart breaks for the trans people and queer people of Kuwait who have so few places to look.”

The film’s production company Causeway, and international distributor Bankside, issued a joint statement on Monday. “We stand in solidarity with Zoe Terakes following the decision by Kuwait to ban the film Talk to Me. Zoe has made their own statement, which we fully support, and we are immensely proud of their involvement in the film.”

In a recent interview with Empire, Danny Philippou, the film’s co-director with his brother Michael, spoke of the importance of casting Terakes, saying: “Zoe, who plays Hayley, even though they’re not a main character, I was not going to shoot the film unless they were available, because I knew they were just so perfect for the role.”

Kuwait is considered to be the most censorious film market in the Gulf, routinely banning movies featuring any references to LBGTQ+ people, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Lightyear and West Side Story. However, the banning of a film based on the gender identity of an actor, which is not referenced in the film itself, is believed to be a first and an indicator that Kuwait’s censors are hardening their stance towards LGBTQ+ talent.

Talk to Me has already released without cuts across all other Gulf territories. The low-budget film, which was made in Adelaide, has been a big hit in the US, making $10m in its opening weekend alone – the second biggest US opening for indie studio A24, after Ari Aster’s hit horror film Hereditary.