Mohamed Malas’ PASSION Controversy
by Andre Soares
The Morocco Times has reported Syrian director Mohammed Malas’s complaints that filmmaking in Syria "is a sector which is still governed by the State. This means that we produce no more than two films a year. The private sector doesn’t invest in the Cinema, which leads many directors, including me, to seek foreign production and assistance.” At the Marrakech International Film Festival, where Malas’ Bab El Makam / Passion tied with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Canadian dramedy C.R.A.Z.Y. for the second jury prize, the director also told reporters that government authorities have prevented his film from reaching Syrian screens, though the Syrian Cinema General Establishment has denied the accusation.
Bab El Makam offers a highly critical view of a rabidly patriarchal society. In the film, Amine (Salwa Jamil) is a Syrian woman whose passion for music becomes her fall. In traditional Islamic society, a respectable woman equals a silent woman - but Amine refuses to abide by such rules. Rather than live in dishonor, her own family decides to do away with her.
List of winners, jury members, and films in competition at the 2005 Marrakech Film Festival
European Film Academy 2005 nominees
Scottish BAFTA 2005 winners and nominees
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