US film director Michael Moore abruptly canceled plans to attend a Wednesday night screening of his anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" in President George W. Bush's hometown of Crawford in Texas, US media reported Thursday.

Moore, who had invited Bush to attend the screening, reportedly canceled his plan citing that he did not want to let his difference with Bush become the subject of the screening, reports from Crawford said.

The screening was held at a local high school's outdoor sport ground, where hundreds of people from across Texas sat before a giant inflatable movie screen to watch the Bush-bashing documentary.

In "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore recounted Bush's controversial 2000 election and lambasted the president's response to the Sept. 11 attacks and his reasons for going to war in Iraq.

Texas peace activists organized the showing in Crawford, 11 kilometers from the Bush's ranch, to raise fund for the local peace organization "Crawford Peace House."

Bush is vacationing this week at his Prairie Chapel ranch during the Democratic Party convention in Boston which Moore was attending. Peace activists have staged demonstrations on previous trips home by the president.

News of Moore's possible appearance in Crawford had stirred an angry response from some residents who planned a pro-Bush rally on the main street, where several shops sell presidential souvenirs.

"Fahrenheit 9-11" has earned more than 100 million US dollar over the weekend, just over a month after its release. It has become the most successful documentary ever.

Moore hoped that the satire of the Bush administration would help oust the president from office in the Nov. 2 election.

Source: Xinhua