A controversial Moroccan movie which was rejected by major film festivals in the United Kingdom and the United States for allegedly propagating “Islamophobia”, has now been nominated a Bafta award which will hold early next year.
It was a dramatic turnaround for the the “infamous movie” which was formerly titled “Jihad Rehab”, before its American director, Meg Smacker, changed the name to “The UnRedacted”.
The Bafta Award Committee announced the nomination of the movie on Thursday despite the widespread criticism it recieved when it was premiered at the Sundance film premiere, which had critics questioning the ethics of the documentary-style production.
The storyline of the film follows four prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as they prepare for freedom, with the documentary-style film focusing on Yemeni men at a Saudi deradicalization center.
Following the criticism, Sundance issued an apology, saying “it is clear that the showing of this film hurt members of our community – in particular, individuals from Muslim and MENASA communities – and for that, we are deeply sorry.”
Among the reasons that ultimately led to the movie being canceled was the issue of consent and ethics behind the men featured in the film as the major movie makers questioned if participants had fully consented to being filmed.
The film was ultimately rejected by major film festivals in both the UK and the US, and some have even reported rejecting showing the film before watching it based on the bad press it had received.
This is not the first film to be banned this year due to hurtful and damaging content toward the Muslim community. In June, Morocco and other Muslim countries had banned a movie titled “The Lady of Heaven” for its “blasphemous” depiction of Prophet Muhammad.