A news report says Russia is considering banning films that "defame the national culture," threaten the country's unity or "undermine the foundations of constitutional order."

The Interfax news agency cited unidentified Culture Ministry officials as saying a proposed government order would prohibit such movies from receiving licenses to be shown in the nation's theatres.

The report said the order had been expected to enter into force on January 1 but was delayed because discussions within the government are not over.

It comes amid controversy over Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev's film Leviathan, which won the Golden Globe award for best foreign film but has had only limited release at home.

Some suspect Leviathan has been held back because its dark portrait of a man's fight against corrupt authorities hits too close to home for President Vladimir Putin's government.

The order would also set out regulations required under a law adopted last year that bans vulgar and curse words in cinema, theater, and literature.

Chief Editor of Iskusstvo Kino (Cinema Art) magazine, Daniil Dondurei, film director and chairman of Russia's KinoSoyuz (Cinema Makers' Union), Andrei Proshkin harshly criticized the draft resolution, calling it censorship.

Based on reporting by Interfax