Earlier this week, the technicians, film directors and stage managers of the Egyptian Media Production City (EMPC) gathered around Adel Thabet
Earlier this week, the technicians, film directors and stage managers of the Egyptian Media Production City (EMPC) gathered around Adel Thabet, the head of the Media Production Department’s office and demanded that he should directly order the production of a film that would extol “the true image of Islam and the Prophet Mohamed” in response to the US-production The Innocence of Muslims which disdains the Prophet.
Thabet, who patiently listened to them, argued that the production of such a film would necessitate quite a large budget which is not available at the moment.
The discontent generated by Thabet’s reaction led the EMPC staff to take the matter to the Media Minister in order for him to approve and allocate a budget for the production of the film which they said can be jointly produced with the State-owned Sout al-Qahira production company. The EMPC staff was not able to meet with the Media Minister who was already in a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, but were promised a meeting with him the following day.
EMPC staff expressed their disappointment at the behaviour of the officials who, as members or followers of the Muslim Brotherhood “never cease to flaunt their alleged upholding of Islam, but failed to make any serious retaliation against the American film.”
For his part, Thabet explained that there were no political barriers against the production of a historical film out of the State budget to confront the rogue American film. The obstacle, however, is the economic hardship the EMPC is striving to overcome.
Watani International
18 September 2012