Doctored Syriana screens in UAE
18/04/2006 - 13:50:31George Clooney's oil drama Syriana has premiered in the United Arab Emirates with two minutes of film removed at the request of government censors.
Scenes showing mistreatment of Asian workers in the Gulf and references to a late Saudi king were among those cut.
The movie has also opened in Egypt but is unlikely to be screened elsewhere in the Middle East.
Beirut-based distributor Italia Films, meanwhile, has dropped plans to show Brokeback Mountain in the Gulf region.
A spokesman said its decision was the result of negative feedback it received from government ministries regarding the film's homosexual content. Homosexuality is a serious offence in the Gulf, punishable by flogging and imprisonment.
