MOVIES - Feb. 22, 1988

Quebec Cultural Affairs Minister Lise Bacon denied this weekend that “Broadcast News” was yanked from Montreal movie theaters because of Quebec’s controversial Cinema Act. The act forbids an English-language film to be shown in Quebec for more than 60 days unless a French-dubbed version is available or the distributor can show plans to dub the film within the province. Last Thursday, the Cineplex Odeon chain of movie theatres pulled the film, claiming its provincial permit had expired before the French version was available. However, Bacon said she viewed the film’s yanking as a “provocative” act since the Montreal distributor, Astral Bellevue Pathe, had renewed its permit to distribute the film on Feb. 12 after proving a subtitled version was on order. Cineplex Odeon officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.