Coca-Cola Delays Italian Christian Film Release

An Italian film which shows a clip of Jesus drinking from a can of Coca-Cola will miss its Easter release date after the drinks company complained.

Seven Kilometres from Jerusalem tells the story of an advertising executive suffering a mid-life crisis who decides to take a trip to Jerusalem.

While driving through the desert to the city, he picks up a hitchhiker, who appears to be Jesus.

In the course of the film, Jesus drinks a can of Coke, and the man exclaims: "God, what a great endorsement!"

Coca-Cola said permission to use its trademark had not been granted.

"We don't think it's appropriate to use the subject of this film to create publicity for our brands," it said in a statement.

"We advised the producer of this in writing, and are very disappointed that our request was not respected."

The drinks company asked for the scene to be cut, but the director and producers argued that changing the film would be costly and time consuming.

After a week of legal wrangling, they have now been forced to postpone the Good Friday
release date as the film is re-edited.

Producers say it could be up to three weeks before the film hits cinemas.

In interviews, Director Claudio Malaponti has claimed that the film - set in modern times - has already won over fans at the Vatican.

According to the director, the Pope did not find the Coke scene offensive and even sent him a letter saying he hoped the movie would "increase love for Jesus".