Utah cinema pulls gay cowboy film

The film tells of an enduring romance between two cowboys

A cinema in Utah has pulled a scheduled screening of gay Western movie Brokeback Mountain at the last minute.

The Jordan Commons Megaplex in Salt Lake City is owned by Larry Miller, a prominent member of the Mormon church, which is against homosexuality.

Distributor Focus Features said the cinema "reneged on their licensing agreement" hours before it was to open.

Mike Thompson of gay rights group Equality Utah said it was disappointing people were barred from seeing it.

Long-standing romance

"It's just a shame that such a beautiful and award-winning film with so much buzz about it is not being made available to a broad Utah audience because of personal bias," he told the Salt Lake Tribune.

The manager of the cinema declined to comment on the cancellation of the screening.

The adult-rated film focuses on the enduring romantic relationship between two cowboys, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

It has already gained a string of award nominations and is highly tipped as an Oscar contender.

Gayle Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, was in favour of the film being cancelled.

"I just think (pulling the show) tells the young people especially that maybe there is something wrong with this show," she said.