Posted on 12/11/2005 5:28:56 PM PST by Alouette
DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Hollywood and Arab stars converged on the Gulf Arab city of Dubai on Sunday for a festival of world film that opened with a movie about why Palestinians carry out suicide bombings.
The cast of "Paradise Now" were feted at the opening ceremony along with U.S. box-office pulls such as Morgan Freeman and Matrix star Laurence Fishburne, Arab stars Adel Imam and Leila Elwi and French-Algerian rai singer Faudel.
Now in its second year, the Dubai International Film Festival has set itself the ambitious goal of being a "cultural bridge" between the West and the Arab world.
"It's an extremely important subject for us in the Middle East," said Egyptian comedy actor Hany Ramzy. "Our role in Arab cinema is to do films that give the West an idea of what we are all about."
"Paradise Now", which has been well-received in the United States and Israel, suggests the random violence of suicide bombings arises from Israeli occupation and not from just Islamic fundamentalism.
Ali Suliman, who plays one of two youths who become suicide bombers, said he hoped the film would change attitudes in the United States, Israel's key ally, who the Arab world accuses of being biased against the Palestinians.
"That's what we hope for and that's what's happening," Suliman said.
The festival allows new filmmakers to try out movies on ethnically mixed audiences in this cosmopolitan city, which often presents itself as a Manhattan of the Middle East.
Fishburne, who trod the red carpet with one arm in a sling, seemed taken with the city's mix of desert, tropics and modern architecture in the religiously conservative Gulf region.
"I wouldn't miss being here for the world," he told reporters.
Controversial film "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World", directed by U.S. comedian Albert Brooks, gets its world premiere at the festival on Thursday.
The film pokes fun at American ignorance of the Muslim world, but its eye-catching title caused Sony to pass up the chance to distribute it, Brooks has said, fearing reprisals from Muslims in the West or the Islamic world.
Brooks plays a comedian sent by the U.S. State Department to India and Pakistan to find out what makes Muslims laugh, so everyone can get along better in the post-9/11 world.
The film is set for U.S. release in January by Warner Independent, the art-house unit of Warner Brothers.
Art-house and challenging cinema are rarely seen in Dubai, where Hollywood crowd-pleasers do a roaring trade among the city's 1.5 million population of Europeans, Africans and Asians.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Maybe Morgan Freeman and Laurence Fishburne should blow themselves up, just to see what it feels like.
Or maybe they could set off a few bombs loaded with ball bearings at the after-screening party, just to give the guests a taste of what this is all about.
"That's what we hope for and that's what's happening," Suliman said.
Wishful thinking...
Is that so?
I don't think so. I submit this for edification.......
I may have been ignorant about the muslime world once upon a time.
No longer though.
That is exactly what I was thinking.
We learned all we needed to about the Islamic world on 9/11!
I was once much the same, neighbor.
Then the scales fell from my eyes. Here's another "click the pic" link:
Islam, The Alleged Religion of Peace® ( TARP™ )? Click this picture:
No, I am not exaggerating. Click the pic, go to "last," and read backwards.
If you are not informed about this stuff, you will be made sick. If you are informed, you will be made mad, all over again.
I learned a lot on 9/11 having watched the slaughter first hand. But I learned a lot about the Arab World on 9/12 amd 9/13 etc etc when I heard NOTHING but silence from them . They are sneaky bastards and have been through history.
It will take time, but they will pay!
I wonder sometimes.America has a VERY short memory. Our own politicians now give moral support to the same mentality that caused 9/11. The loony left hates Bush more than they hate radical Islam . Tell me they don't laugh at us as they plot the next 9/11.
p>
Dubai Bump List:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1519343/posts
Dubai Royals Snatch Up Manhattan Real Estate
..........................................
The radical left is already headed that way.
There was more than silence from them. They were dancing in the streets and passing out candy.
They do, but at some point, they will no longer be laughing..
Freeman and Fishbourne are tokens pushed by Jewish liberal dogooders and are devoid of talent. They would be on the streets pimping and pushing if not for this gott fortune, and no one knows this better than themselves. They should be grateful to Israel rather than going against them. I kinda have a feeling they are or about to be black muleslime towing calypso fartecon's racist slant.
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