The American news networks CNN and National Public Radio have refused to accept ads for the controversial British film Death of a President, about the fictional assassination of U.S. President George W. Bush.

CNN sent an e-mail to movie distributor Newmarket Films on Tuesday, saying it would not air ads for the film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Gabriel Range accepts the International Critics' Prize in Toronto for Death of a President. It will open on only 100 screens in the U.S. and some media outlets have refused ads.
(Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)

CNN said it "has decided not to take the ads because of the extreme nature of the movie's subject matter."

The film is shot as if it is a documentary, looking back on the 2007 shooting of Bush during an anti-war rally in Chicago. Real news footage of Bush is mixed with acted segments to create the story.

Filmmaker Gabriel Range has used the same technique in two films that cast light on British politics.

But projecting the death of a sitting president has been too controversial for many critics in the United States and two theatre chains there have balked at showing the film, which opens Friday.

Ads could taint news coverage of film: NPR

National Public Radio (NPR) said it refused the ads because it did not want to give listeners the idea that it was reporting about the movie because it took the sponsorships, an NPR spokeswoman said.

"The movie is fairly likely to generate significant controversy and we'll cover it as a news story," said NPR spokeswoman Andi Sporkin.

"To take a sponsorship spot would raise questions and cause confusion" among listeners, she said.

Newmarket Films co-founder Chris Ball objected to the refusals by CNN and NPR, saying major newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post have run ads.

'To refuse to accept ads for a movie is tantamount to saying it shouldn't be seen, and this runs counter to everything we are supposed to believe in as a free society.' -Newmarket Films co-founder Chris Ball

"To refuse to accept ads for a movie is tantamount to saying it shouldn't be seen, and this runs counter to everything we are supposed to believe in as a free society," Ball told the Los Angeles Times.

He defended the film's premise, saying it is an appeal for tolerance.

"Death of a President is the opposite of a call for violence," Ball said.

The largest U.S. theatre chain, Regal Entertainment Group, and a smaller competitor, Cinemark USA, have said they would not screen the movie. It will open Friday on about 100 screens nationwide.

Maple Pictures is releasing Death of a President in Canada, also on Friday, and has a promotional campaign that features a picture of Bush, with his birth and fictional death date.

The ads have been accepted by Canadian media outlets.