The controversial French film, Baise-Moi, which has been banned in 23 countries, received its first UK screening yesterday after finally being passed by censors.

The film, a tale of two women who go on a violent rampage after one of them is brutally raped and the other witnesses a brutal shooting, was screened in Leicester as part of a season examining censorship in film.

Baise-Moi caused huge controversy when it was released in France last year and was withdrawn from cinemas after pressure from the right-wing pressure group, Promouvoir. However high profile directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and Claire Denis joined the film's two female directors to demonstrate against the decision, claiming that the ban amounted to a revival of post-war censorship.

The film, with one minor cut, will go on nationwide release in the UK early next year. Although French critics universally panned the film, the British Board of Film Censors has defended its decision to release the film, saying it was "a serious and well-made film" and "represents an important viewpoint."

However, resistance is already building to the film's release in Britain. John Beyer, director of Mediawatch-UK, formerly the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, urged people to ask their local council to ban it. "I think Baise-Moi is an antisocial film and should be withdrawn," he told The Times newspaper.