Director Pedro Almodóvar thanks fans for freeing the nipple after Instagram banned his movie poster

Pedro Almodóvar thanked only fans for freeing the nipple on his controversial Parallel Mothers movie poster.

The Oscar-winning Talk to Her filmmaker told IndieWire he is grateful "to those who have debated about the need for a bit of sanity in view of the vision of a female nipple" after Instagram temporarily prohibited the promotional image for his new Penélope Cruz-starring movie Parallel Mothers from circulating on the platform because its depiction of a woman's lactating nipple broke the site's "rules against nudity." He further criticized the impersonal nature of Instagram's algorithm, which he said lacks "heart or common sense" in sifting through art versus salacious content. (Representatives for Almodóvar did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment).

After the popular, NSFW poster (below) was banned from Instagram, the image's designer, Javier Jaén, sounded a battle cry on social media that inspired fans to speak out against the platform's censorship.

Facebook, Instagram's parent company, told the Associated Press in a statement that the platform makes "exceptions to allow nudity in certain circumstances, which includes when there's clear artistic context," and has "therefore restored posts sharing the Almodóvar movie poster to Instagram."

"We're really sorry for any confusion caused," the statement continues.

In a subsequent interview, Jaén told the Associated Press that he included the image of a woman's nipple on the poster because it was "probably the first image I saw when I was born," and slammed Instagram for insinuating that his work "is dangerous" in prohibiting its circulation.

"[The implication is] that it's pornographic. How many people are they telling that their body is bad, that their body is dangerous?" he told the outlet. "They say their technology can't differentiate the context. I don't care. Change your technology then."

Slated for a world premiere at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival in September, Parallel Mothers — which tells the story of two mothers who give birth on the same day — marks Almodóvar's latest in a long line of collaborations with Cruz, the Oscar-winning actress whose work with the filmmaker has spanned two decades, from recent hits like Pain and Glory, Volver, and Broken Embraces to older works such as the universally acclaimed 1999 drama All About My Mother.

Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including our new season diving into all five All Stars seasons, featuring exclusive interviews with Jujubee, Alexis Mateo, Shea Couleé, Alaska, Detox, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, and more. And be sure to catch up on our BINGE recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race seasons 1-13 with Symone, Jaida Essence Hall, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more!

Related content:

• 2022 awards season calendar: Oscars, Emmys dates announced, Golden Globes on hiatus
• Pain and Glory stars Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas reuniting for new movie
• Pedro Almodóvar talks Pain and Glory and why he doesn't want to be a 'pioneer'