Blue is the Warmest Colour, last year's celebrated winner of Cannes' coveted Palme d' Or, is being targeted under controversial Russian laws which have been widely interpreted as a crackdown on gay rights.

Members of Moscow's League of Safe Internet (LBI) group have complained to local prosecutors and the Russian ministry of culture that Abdellatif Kechiche's film falls foul of statutes introduced last year which limit "gay propaganda" towards young people. They also accuse the salacious romance, itself the subject of controversy after stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux alleged Kechiche bullied them on set, of veering into child porn territory.

"The film has plenty of overtly pornographic scenes, which take up most of the screen time," LBI executive director Denis Davydov told Russian daily Izvestia, in comments first translated by the Hollywood Reporter. "[Two] women are engaged in lesbian sex, one of whom is a 15-year-old girl. The fact that the actress who plays her is over 18 doesn't matter. She could as well be 40. The audience views her as a minor."

LBI said Blue is the Warmest Colour, which has already concluded its theatrical run, should not have been issued a licence by the culture ministry. Any prohibition would target the film's appearance on home video and television.

For the record, Seydoux is 28 and Exarchopoulos is 19. The actors, who were awarded the Palme d'Or jointly with Kechiche for their unique commitment to the film, hit the headlines in September after claiming the Franco-Tunisian film-maker ranted and raved at them as he sought to achieve optimum realism during the production. The two stars said they would never work with Kechiche again after being put through a gruelling 10-day shoot for the 10-minute love scene at the centre of the film and being forced into a continuous one-hour take - during which the director allegedly refused to allow his stars to simulate blows - for a separate fight scene. Kechiche later hit back, appearing to threaten legal action and accusing the actors of indecency for complaining about doing what he said was one of the best jobs in the world.

It is not the first time Blue is the Warmest Colour has come under attack in Russia. In November protestors targeted the film during its screening at St Petersburg's LGBT film festival Side By Side.