Italy TV refuses to air "offensive" film featuring Berlusconi

London, Aug 29 (ANI): Italy's state TV has stopped a trailer of a film featuring Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from being aired, claiming that it is "offensive" to his reputation.

The scandalous leader is present in an ad for Videocracy, which has scantily-clad women and statistics claiming the nation has a low press freedom rating.

But Italy TV has refused to telecast the clips on concerns that it could have a political backlash on the leader.

And the country's state broadcaster RAI has stated in its rejection letter that the images in the trailer alluded to recent stories about the Italian premier's private life.

However, filmmaker Erik Gandini insists that his work, which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is about Italian culture even though it has the top man in it.

"It is a film about the present time. It is a film that talks about how Italy has become after all these years. Of course, Berlusconi is in the story," the BBC News quoted him as saying.

He added: "In a videocracy, the key to power is the image. In Italy, one man only has kept the domination of the image over three entire decades,"

Also, producers Fandango said that RAI told them that the movie promo showing a smiling Berlusconi came across as a political message aimed against the government.

Berlusconi's company Mediaset, which runs Italy's private TV stations, has declined to screen the trailer too.

Mediaset and RAI's three state television channels make up 90 percent of the available free-to-air broadcasters in Italy. (ANI)