Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government may prohibit the Balibo movie being screened here as it may be deemed "offensive".

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Friday that neither he nor any other government officials had seen the film but, based on media reports about the controversial film, it was likely to offend the public.

"I don't think the censorship agency will allow such an offensive film to be shown in this country as it will open up old wounds," he said at a press briefing. "We have to ensure that the interests of the larger community are being served."

Balibo depicts the brutal killing of five foreign journalists by Indonesian soldiers during the invasion of the then East Timor in 1975.

Directed by Australian Robert Conolly, the movie was released two months before the Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced it had reopened the investigation into the deaths of the five journalists, known as the Balibo Five.

The Indonesian and Australian governments had concluded that the journalists, two of them Australian, were accidentally killed in the crossfire and considered the case closed.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, however, promised the families of the slain journalists, during his 2007 federal election campaign, that he would resolve the case.

Balibo is based on a book written by Jill Jolliffe, who witnessed the first incursions of the military into the Balibo territory and reported the death of her five colleagues. She moved to Portugal in 1978, but continued to follow the story of the Balibo Five for more than 30 years.

Historian Clinton Fernandes from the University of New South Wales' School of Humanities and Social Sciences, who acted as a consulting historian for the film, said Connolly was committed to historical accuracy.

"(The five journalists) were killed deliberately on orders that emanated from the highest levels. Their corpses were dressed in uniforms, guns placed beside them, and photographs taken in an attempt to portray them as legitimate targets," Fernandes said on his website.

The film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July. There is a possibility that it will be screened at the annual Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest) in December.

JIFFest festival manager Nauval Yazid said the festival had not finished selecting movies but acknowledged that Balibo was among them. "I haven't received any official notification from the government about the banning of the film," said Nauval.

Film Censorship Institute (LSF) chairman Mukhlis Paeni refused to comment on the Foreign Ministry's statement. "I can't give you any comments before I see the film," he said.

In 2006, the LSF banned four films at JIFFest: The Black Road about the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and three about Timor Leste, namely Tales of Crocodiles, Passabe and Timor Loro Sae.