SYRIA: Syrian director Najdat Anzour brings his controversial film "King of the Sands" to Damascus

Record ID: 221199

  • Title: SYRIA: Syrian director Najdat Anzour brings his controversial film "King of the Sands" to Damascus
  • Date: 13th December 2013
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 12, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT THE OPERA HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAJD NIAZY, AN OPPOSITION FIGURE, SAYING: "It (the movie) is a message to the Arab nation and the World to know who are fighting Syrian civilization and heritage. I think that the weapon of art and word is stronger than any other weapon." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT THE OPERA HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAAD MINEH, SYRIAN ACTOR, SAYING: "All Syria is threatened. Any citizen or even child is threatened. We can see lately mortars that are killing children and schools. This became disgusting."
  • Embargoed: 28th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVA5NA6TOV1PCUB27QTLZ1AEVUGL
  • Story Text: The chilly weather and the sound of mortars falling in the neighbouring areas did not prevent moviegoers from heading to Assad Opera House in Damascus to watch a film by Syrian director Najdat Anzour.
    Politicians, actors, journalists and opposition figures were invited to attend the premiere "King of The Sands" on Thursday (December 12).
    The movie talks about the foundation of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and shows that it was established by the blood of many tribes attacked by Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saoud, who came from Kuwait seeking power over Arab Peninsula.
    Anzour, who has directed many series about terrorism in the Arab countries and Europe, says through his researches about terrorism's roots, he discovered they came from one place which is Saudi Arabia.
    "This weird phenomenon that is spreading in the Arab world became something I want to know where it came from. I think after a profound research for all these phenomena that are strange from Arabic and Islamic societies came from one place that is more like a swamp for these notions. This is the Wahhabi expiatory concept started to invade Syrian society and it is not a part of it," he said.
    He added that Saudi kings are made of sands and they will be ended one day, and he criticized Syrians who count on those kings.
    "Even those who carry the Syrian identity and went outside Syria, those are living in the sand's arms. Real Syrians refuse those people. Those are not part of Syrian society," said Anzour.
    In the movie, Abdul Aziz attacked the Arab tribes, killing men who opposed him and capturing women of the clans he entered.
    At the end Anzour connects the story to some of today's scenes of Islamist groups in Syria founding brigades named after Abdul Aziz and fighting in the country.
    Media reports have said that an envoy was sent to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Abdil Aziz son, Prince al-Walid, to prevent the film from being revealed in Syria.
    Because of the movie, Anzour have got many threats from different parties calling him not to show it in any of the cinemas, says a politician.
    "It (the movie) is a message to the Arab nation and the World to know who are fighting Syrian civilization and heritage. I think that the weapon of art and word is stronger than any other weapon", Majd Niazy, an opposition figure, told Reuters.
    Saad Mineh, Syrian actor, said all Syria is threatened.
    "All Syria is threatened. Any citizen or even child is threatened. We can see lately mortars that are killing children and schools. This became disgusting," he said.
    The 90-minute movie was banned in Syria's cinemas when it was first produced two years ago.
    That is why it was shown first in London on September 11, 2013 where it had a positive reception from the audience.
    "King of the Sands", an English-language film, treats fifty years of the life of Saudi Kingdom founder and stars Italian actors Marco Foschi and Fabio Testy in addition to a number of actors from England, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. It was filmed in a number of countries.
    The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Syrian government have worsened since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011 when Saudi officials accused Assad of killing Syrian people.
    Recently the Syrian Foreign Ministry has sent a number of messages to the United Nations Security Council and General Committee for Human Rights accusing Saudi Arabia of sending extremists to fight governmental forces in Syria.
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