KUWAIT CITY, 28 August 2006 — Kuwait’s Al-Funun Channel has canceled its plans to show a special cartoon film over the Ramadan season in order to defuse an emerging controversy over the film, the Al-Watan daily reported yesterday.
The cartoon featured animated images of several leading Kuwaiti movie stars spitting, something the celebrities deemed offensive and degrading.
Stars that protested included the likes of Saad Al-Faraj, Haya Al-Fahd and Muhammad Al-Ojaimi who accused the Funun Channel of exploiting their names.
They stars said the channel had not consulted them before taking the decision to produce the cartoon and should thus not be shown.
The channel responded to the protests by delaying the screening to an unspecified date.
Gulf Filmmaker Invited to Egypt Film Festival
RIYADH, 28 August 2006 — Gulf actress Maysa Maghrabi has been invited to show her latest film “Tarb Fashen” in the 22nd International Alexandria Film Festival on Sept. 5 in Alexandria, Egypt.
Speaking to the Al-Watan daily yesterday, Maysa expressed her joy at being invited to the festival. She added that the festival committee had selected her film with an aim of showing the world the way filmmaking was reaching new heights in the Middle East.
Saudi actor Saud Abu Sultan and director Muhammad Daham Al-Shammari have also been invited to the festival.
