Sexless city: 'Sex and the City' adverts banned in Jerusalem

Haretz Last update - 23:58 20/05/2008
By Adi Dovrat, Haaretz Correspondent

Outdoor advertising company Maximedia has notified the distributors of 'Sex in the City' Forum Films and its publicist, Golan Advertising - that the movie based on the popular TV series of the same name will not be allowed to advertise in Jerusalem and Petah Tikva, because the word "sex" appears on the signs. "The news was a great shock," said a spokesman for Forum Films said. "We have not asked to advertise nudity, or messages that may be offensive to the general public and the ultra-Orthodox community in particular. Nevertheless, this is the name of the movie. We feel that it is ridiculous to prohibit us from advertising the brand without naming it," he added. The company added that it would consult with the movie's production company about what to do about continued advertising in these cities.

Maximedia CEO Shai Keidar, who receives a franchise from the municipalities, has signed an agreement which forbids him from posting signs that would offend the public, and has no intention of fighting the decision. "Naturally, I don't ask the municipality to approve just any poster," he said. "Our decision was based on long years of work and acquaintance with the municipalities. The posters will appear in other cities."