FIRST OFF . . .

A South African release for Sir Richard Attenborough’s anti-apartheid film, “Cry Freedom,” looks increasingly doubtful. A TV report aired Friday on the government-run South African Broadcasting Corp. quoted a Justice Ministry spokesman as saying the film can’t be shown in the country without the approval of Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee. In addition, an unnamed official said that “Cry Freedom” would violate the country’s Internal Security Act if it used direct quotes from black leader Steve Biko and newspaper editor Donald Woods, both “banned” persons (meaning that they can’t be published or quoted in South Africa). Michael Williams-Jones, president and chief executive officer of UIP, the distributor, said Saturday in London that the film does contain direct quotes by the two and that he was “astounded” by the report since government censors had approved the film for release in December. The TV report indicated that complaints had been received about the film, but it did not say who made them or when.