Kuwait's movie censorship rules are pretty clear. Many movies don't make the cut here for a variety of reasons; actually only one reason: SEX!! But they usually get banned very quietly and nobody outside Kuwait would know... or care.
This time it's different because Fahrenheit 9/11 is a political (yes, shamelessly biased) documentary, and because it was not banned quietly but instead was accompanied by a moronic official statement from the Ministry of Disinformation.
So it made the news, and unfairly portrayed Kuwait as a country intolerant of dissenting opinions, when anyone who reads the Kuwaiti papers knows that is not the case. Some of our own columnists have openly criticized the US, Bush, the War on Iraq... you name it, with no recourse or censorship. Our press enjoys more freedoms - relatively speaking of course - than any country in the Arab world, and yet we can't bring ourselves to show a damned movie because it "insults our friends". And which friends are these, I hear you ask? Let's see... we have a) The US itself, which could give a rat's ass whether we showed it here or not, and b) Saudi Arabia which, quite frankly, has bigger problems.
And speaking of the film's sharp - yet brief - criticism of Saudi Arabia, who are we kidding here? Newsweek had a much more damning article called "The Saudi Trap" in it's June 28 issue, and yet it was openly sold here in Kuwait's newsstands. I highly recommend the article, by the way.
It makes sense that they ban a film because more people would watch a movie than read a newspaper or an article in Newsweek.
ReplyDeleteThe impact of the content of the movie on the fragile and delciate minds who spend their times running around in Marina mall and from Starbucks to another would be big.
One does not need to see the movie to get an idea of what M.M. wants to say, he has enough books out and web sites.
Regardless of what he portrays in his movie, it will never be the complete truth, and even if it is, who cares? The color of power is green, and that makes the world go around.
they will not ban books , why you ask ? because the people who READ books can think for them self , but most the people who watch movie , would just get swooped and belive it to be true , a lot belive hidalgo story , but its proven thats not true , but hell its on a movie and it said " based on true story ", so every one would just belive it
ReplyDeletethey will not ban books , why you ask ? because the people who READ books can think for them self , but most the people who watch movie , would just get swooped and belive it to be true , a lot belive hidalgo story , but its proven thats not true , but hell its on a movie and it said " based on true story ", so every one would just belive it
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