Michelle Trachtenberg

The American director of controversial film Mysterious Skin says he is stunned the movie about sexually abused teenagers may be banned in Australia.

Speaking in Sydney ahead of the film’s first Australian screening, Gregg Araki said Mysterious Skin had not created controversy in any other country.

"I am very surprised," Araki said.

"The fact (is) that the film has opened already in so many other countries with no incident, no problem with censorship or anything."

The film, classified R18+, was referred to the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification after a complaint by federal Attorney General Philip Ruddock.

Mr Ruddock made the complaint after receiving advice from South Australian counterpart Michael Atkinson after complaints by the Australian Family Association.

advertisement The Office of Film and Literature is yet to set a date for a hearing on the film.

"I have always thought of Australia as a very sort of progressive, sophisticated, cosmopolitan place. So to run into this roadblock is surprising," Araki said.

Mysterious Skin is based on a novel by Scott Heim and stars 3rd Rock from the Sun actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Neil and Brady Corbet as Brian.

The story revolves around the two boys remembering incidents of sexual abuse, but in totally different ways.

"It deals with the aftermath of this abuse in a very truthful and a very sort of unflinching kind of way," Araki said.

"It is a very emotional and powerful story and that is why I made it."

The film debuted at last year’s Venice Film Festival and has screened at a string of movie festivals around the world.

"I haven’t cut the film in any other territory," Araki said.

"Australia is one of the last territories to open so it is kind of strange that the controversy is this late in the release of the film.

"It is really unfortunate."

Reviews in the US and Britain have been largely positive.

"The care and delicate understanding that Araki shows towards the two young male victims is unmistakable," Queer Screen executive producer Panos Couros said.

"This is a very important film on these issues, and its social value should not be discounted by anyone, particularly if this push for censorship has been informed by reading a synopsis."

The movie will show at a Popcorn Taxi event in Sydney and Queer Screen will hold a screening on Wednesday night.

It will then be shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival later this week before opening nationally next month, depending on the outcome of the Office of Film and Literature review.