Film fest bans 'zombie porn'

Melbourne - A "gay zombie porn" flick which shows aliens engaging in necrophilia has been pulled from Australia's biggest film festival after being rejected by censors, organisers said on Tuesday.

LA Zombie, which also features homosexual sex and full-frontal male nudity, is the first film in seven years to be banned from screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which starts on July 22.

Festival director Richard Moore told The Age newspaper he had received a letter from censors denying classification to the film by Canadian director Bruce LaBruce.

Described by Moore as a "video art zombie film", LA Zombie stars French porn actor Francois Sagat as a man convinced he's an alien zombie sent to Earth to roam the streets of Los Angeles in search of dead bodies and gay sex.

Moore has defended the festival's attempt to show the film, telling public broadcaster ABC that the public has a right to judge it for themselves.

"They know they're not gonna go and see Fantasia or Bambi," said Moore.

LA Zombie will have its world premiere next week in Locarno, Switzerland.

Last year's festival drew protests from China and had its website hacked over the decision to show Ten Conditions of Love, a biopic of Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer.