Brokeback Syriana
George Clooney’s political thriller, Syriana has premiered in the United Arab Emirates with two minutes cut by government censors.
Scenes showing mistreatment of Asian workers in the Gulf and references to a late Saudi king were among those cut.
The movie has also opened in Egypt but is unlikely to be screened elsewhere in the Middle East, said its distributor
Apparently, the UAE’s censors took four months to to examine the film because they felt that the buck should be passed to the authorities in Abu Dhabi.
In other news, Beirut based distributor Italia Films, has abandoned plans to show Brokeback Mountain in the Gulf region.
A spokesman said its decision was the result of negative feedback it received from government ministries regarding the film’s homosexual content.
“We asked whether a film with such a subject would be approved,” said Jean Shaheen of Italia Films. “They told us they would rather not deal with it.”
Now there’s a surprise.
Homosexuality is a serious offence in the Gulf, punishable by flogging and imprisonment.
Wednesday 19 Apr 2006 | Paul | Lebanon, Middle East, United Arab Emirates
