(ANSA) - ROME, JANUARY 25 - There is controversy in Egypt over the remake of 'Perfect strangers'.
Paolo Genovese's 2016 film debuted on Netflix and is the first film in Arabic, set in Lebanon, shown on the platform, arousing polemics in Egypt for "alleged immorality and damage to traditional values".
The BBC reports online.
The plot of the film revolves around seven friends who meet for dinner. They decide to play a game where everyone puts their cell phone on the table, allowing everyone to view any new messages or calls. Discussions about sexual encounters and admissions of extra-marital relationships have sparked outrage in Egypt. MEP and well-known television journalist Mustafa Bakry said he had protested with the president of the Egyptian parliament against the directors. Bakry then urged the country's authorities to stop cooperation with Netflix "as this is not his first film that targets the values and traditions of Egyptian and Arab societies."
Al-Watan's website reports that Egyptian lawyer Ayman Mahfouz has confirmed that he has filed a lawsuit against the directors accusing them of "promoting homosexuality".
The accusation probably refers to the inclusion of a gay character in the film.
Mahfouz said he also sent a monitolegal to the Ministry of Culture to prevent the film from being shown in Egypt.
However, the authority responsible for censorship said the country cannot ban the film because it is a Lebanese production.
(HANDLE).
