Director Mohamed Diab said that the world saw that the movie “Princess” was supportive of the Palestinian cause, to the extent that the Israeli press described it as “Palestinian propaganda”, and accused it of racism against Israel, and that it distorted the Israeli jailer and made him appear dehumanized.
The makers of the Jordanian film “Amira” confirmed that a number of negotiations have taken place during the past weeks with the parties representing the families of smuggled sperm children, the sons of Palestinian prisoners, in an attempt to solve the crisis and show the film in the cinema.
“Amira” had sparked a wave of anger, after the artwork’s family was accused of abusing the families of Palestinian prisoners, which led to the ban on its showing, and Jordan retracted its nomination as its representative in the Oscars 2022 race.
A documentary film to solve the crisis
Mohamed Diab, the film’s director, issued, through his Facebook account, a special statement in which he said that he suggested to the representatives of the Palestinian prisoners to put a sentence or wording appropriate at the beginning of the film to emphasize that the events are fictional, and he also suggested the production of a documentary film explaining the real information about “Children of Freedom” It appears on the ending sequences.
During the statement, he also indicated that at the time of filming, a group of prisoners’ mediators had already been contacted, and it was agreed to indicate the end of the film through 3 sentences confirming that the story is fictional.
In his statement, the director stressed that the film is his responsibility, and not for its workers, whether actors or directors, as everyone who participated in the film was aware that a group of prisoners had already been contacted.
He denied that the film was produced by certain parties or countries, as it was filmed entirely in the Kingdom, with a joint production between production companies from Egypt, Jordan and Palestine, and the only support the film received from the Red Sea Festival represented less than 3% of the budget.
He added that it was the filmmakers who decided to stop the film temporarily until they consulted with the prisoners, and this precedent is evidence of concern for the feelings of the prisoners and their families, according to Diab’s description.
Diab added that the world saw the work as a supporter of the Palestinian cause, to the extent that the Israeli press described it as “Palestinian propaganda” and accused him of racism against it, and that he distorted the Israeli jailer and made him appear dehumanized.
During the statement, the director stressed that the dispute with the prisoners’ representatives came about their insistence on banning the film, especially since its makers made it clear that this represents a cultural suicide, and its consequences are not limited to a single artwork, but rather it will be a precedent that will limit the freedom of creativity that was a reason for distinguishing Palestinian cinema globally.
He explained that the rights to show the film around the world are not owned by the film family, but are sold at the time of its production as part of its financing, and that it is shown without reference to them.
Exit the Oscars
“Amira” was shown in the fifth session of the El Gouna Film Festival, but it was subjected to a sharp attack after it was shown within the activities of the first session of the Red Sea Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The film was accused of abusing Palestinian prisoners, and anger escalated, prompting the Kingdom of Jordan to withdraw the film from its representation in the Oscars list for the best non-English language film.
The makers of the film confirmed at the time that it was discontinued out of respect for the families of the prisoners and the Palestinian people, and said that the film did not intend to offend them.
The film starring Tara Abboud, who embodied the character of a princess, and co-starring Saba Mubarak and Ali Suleiman, and it is a co-production by Muhammad Hefzy, Mona Abdel Wahab and preacher Moez Masoud.
The film discusses the issue of the sperm children of Palestinian prisoners. Its events revolve around the young woman, Amira, the father of a prisoner in Israeli prisons, who discovers that her father is sterile, and begins a journey in search of her real father, only to discover that an Israeli guard has exchanged her father’s sperm, and that her origins are Israeli.