Dubai International Film Festival 2004
by Andre Soares
"You’re appalling, you son of a dog. May your house be destroyed!" one Egyptian woman yelled during a showing of Control Room at the first Dubai International Film Festival. The woman’s anger was being directed at U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who is shown describing scenes of grieving Iraqis and bombed buildings as "stage-managed." Control Room, which goes behind the scenes of the Arab network Al Jazeera, is one of the dozens of films being presented at the festival.
The American government and military have claimed that the Qatar-based Al Jazeera is an anti-American tool for Muslim radicals — an accusation refuted by the network — and five Arab countries, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, have banned the station. According to Aljazeera.net, to this date Control Room has not been distributed in any Arab nation.
Orlando Bloom and Morgan Freeman are two Hollywood personalities that showed up at the festival, which is supposed to work as a cultural bridge between the Muslim and the non-Muslim worlds.
Additionally, festival organizers announced that more than 70 top-rated Arab performers, producers, and directors from Egypt, Syria and Kuwait arrived in Dubai for the film festival. Among those present were actors Duraid Lahham and Laila Olwi, directors Ali Badrakhan, Hala Khalil, and producers Safwat Ghatas and Mohamed Hussein Ramzy.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Note: All comments are moderated. Different views and opinions are welcome, but abusive/bigoted/flaming comments will NOT be approved. Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has NO contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog or any information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
