Dubai: After severing of diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar by some Arab countries, many Arab actors have announced to join their countries in cutting ties with Qatar, Arab press report said.
In a statement published in Arabic newspaper Emarat Al Youm, Mohammad Ramadan, an Egyptian actor, said his movie ‘Jawab E’tiqal’ will be screened in most Arab countries except Qatar. His movie is against terrorism and terrorist groups.
The movie’s producer Mohammad Al Sabki also said that the decision not to show the movie will go beyond ‘Jawab E’tiqal’ (which means in Arabic the answer of arrest), to include all movies he produces. Al Sabki added that he made this decision to back his country’s policy.
Mohammad Hinaidi, a known comedian from Egypt, was also quoted as saying he has apologised after knowing that his movie “Antara Bin Bin Bin Shaded” is being screened in Qatar’s cinemas. Although Hinaidi has nothing to do with distribution of movies abroad, he was keen to obtain a prior agreement not to screen any of his movies in Qatar. Antara is a well-known pre-Islamic Arab knight and poet,
Despite the absence of official directions to boycott Qatar’s cinemas, most Egyptian movie producers will stay away from Qatari cinemas.
The boycott also included dramas produced especially for Ramadan, which is considered the peak season for TV dramas in the Arab world, where most of the productions are shown on different TV channels.
Arab producers Iyad Al Khuzouz and Yaser Fahmi, who produced the Bedouin series “Shooq” (which means in Arabic yearning) also announced earlier in June that they had recalled the series and wouldn’t hand the rest of episodes to Qatari TV channels. They also asked the channels not to show any of the series episodes.
According to a press statement issued by both producers on June 9, the step has been taken to “support the Arab unity and in line with the role of art and its sublime message.”
