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18
April 2006
George
Clooney Film Cut By Gulf
Censors
George
Clooney's
oil drama
Syriana
has premiered in the
United Arab Emirates
(UAE) with two minutes
of film removed at the
request of 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.
Beirut-based
distributor Italia
Films, meanwhile, has
dropped 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."
Homosexuality
is a serious offence in
the Gulf, punishable by
flogging and
imprisonment.
Censors
reportedly took four
months to examine
Syriana before its
release in the UAE last
week.
"We
would never allow
anything that is
disrespectful to the
country or the
president, causes
security problems,
insults religions,
exhibits immorality like
nudity or promotes vices
like alcohol and drugs,"
said Aleem Jumaa of the
Dubai censorship
office.
Syriana,
he said, took longer
than normal to pass
because his office felt
it required a second
opinion from authorities
in Abu Dhabi, the
capital of the
seven-emirate
federation.
A
brief shot showing the
late Saudi King Fahd in
a photograph was removed
from the film, as was a
comment made by Matt
Damon's character
linking the business
interests of the Bin
Laden's family to the
holy city of
Mecca.
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