Deep within the Kuwait Ministry of Information’s sprawling, high-security complex, seven government films censors gather for a screening of “The Last Song,” a drama starring Miley Cyrus. Seated in plush velvet seats in front of a large, cinema-style screen, the censors graze on soft drinks and snacks while attendants circle the theater, refilling drinks and serving sandwiches.
It feels like a typical, lazy, weekday matinee — until Cyrus leaps into the arms of her co-star and leans in for a long and passionate kiss. Watching the screen, the censors drop their sandwiches and reach for the white buttons attached to their armrest, activating a bell and flashing light. The bell alerts John Prasard, working upstairs in the cinema’s projection room, to cut the scene. He stores the offending frames on a crowded cabinet shelf; stocked with illicit scenes, the cabinet is a trove of steamy embraces and blasphemous talk.
Good article about film censorship in Kuwait and what happens behind the scenes. [Article]
via Nibaq
28 replies on “Kuwaiti censors say “hold the sex””
thin red line mark, careful
And at end of a ‘hard day’s work’ they all head home,just in time for ‘Sex and The City’ on Showtime.
reminded me of “Cinema Paradiso” for some reason. Nice article.
I want that collection ! ! !
“he estimates that he has watched nearly 6,000 films over the course of his career”
Johnny must’ve seen a gizillion boobies.
Reminds me of hearing Green Day on the radio in Kuwait a few years ago. For a long time I didn’t realise that their global hit song was called ‘American Idiot’. I thought it was called ‘American uh uh’, which seemed odd, but hey it was Green Day.
Why the censors thought the US would be upset by them playing a song by an American band which was being played worldwide, including obviously the US, I don’t know…
On top of that, if they’d actually read the lyrics, they’d see that it’s not an anti-US song.
Before living in Kuwait I always took freedom for granted. Never again!
wth.
that’s how they do the censoring.
eek.
So that’s the guys who does it !!! BAN HIM !!! Well another reason not to waste 3 bucks….drama starring Miley Cyrus ??? WTF ? The should ban that MOVIE itself !!!
Dayum the look tht johhnny gives is epic
quote
“Before living in Kuwait I always took freedom for granted. Never again!”
I’m living in the US right now and kuwait has waaaaaay more freedoms.
HOW YOU SAY???
1-Less Federal Laws– I can buy bootleg DVDs, PC games and if any one complains about alcohol as too much federal regulation, Al Jazeera has great fares for Dubai.
2-I don’t have to pay monthly car insurance (which can be a drain on ones expenses).
3-When signing a new lease to rent I dont have to sign a hell of lot of pages protecting landowners (typical capitalism).
4-In kuwait I OWN a house i pay 12 dollars for gas, today i filled my tiny little car with 38 dollars worth of gas. I know #4 has nothing to do with freedom BUT ide rather have all the advantages of being a kuwaiti, than your so called cloak in the dagger, corprate run, political jerrymandering FREEDOM.
In Kuwait I am free. PROUD TO BE A KUWAITI, I WOULDN’T WANNA BE ANYTHING ELSE.
In Cinema Paradiso I remember the priest was watching first alone and ringing a bell in his hand (:
Now let’s get this straight…If uncensored films turn us into perverts, and the censors get to watch the uncensored films, wouldn’t that make them the most perverted people around?
@ Qster-In my country I have all those privileges except cheap gas.Summertime I can enjoy to the full extent.I don’t have to spend most of the time indoors due to extreme heat or dust.I can also go to bars,discos,strip clubs and watch women sunbath topless without being arrested.But hey,to each his own.
I’m a 30 year old man, and I still have some idiot telling me what I can and cannot watch?
Pathetic.
funny story has a point
they should just have age restrictions like g, pg13 and 18 etc..
that posh cinema they are watching films in was built to them in MOI by cinescape as a way of luring them to be less harsh censors, also the snacks are free, and they get payed by the a hour above there monthly salary, i want that job.
that’s why it’s never worth watching movies in kuwait. you only get to see 70% of a film which is ridiculous. i think if they want to sensor shit then they should rate films and ID kids. but that’s never going to happen.
actually i though it was a lame and redundant article. as for the subject, i rarely go to movie theaters for the same reason of not showing the movie entirely (also for selection). So lately i have been enjoying films at my own or friends homes. And yes it does take away from the excitement of watching it on the silver screen.
I wonder how much wasta you need to become a censor.And are there any WOMAN censors? Doubt it, it might offend our little sensibilities.
I’m in Kuwait because I love living here and I make a lot of $. There are + and – things about Kuwait and the US. As far as Kuwait being a free country??? Okay, if you say so. Let’s see, I don’t think there is enough space to write down how wrong that is…especially from a woman’s perspective.
I would much rather pay a high price for gas in exchange for inexpensive, top quality Internet that wasn’t blocked. Don’t get me started on the cost of local and international telephone calls. It would also be nice if I could write whatever I wanted on my blog without the fear of being put in jail.
I met an older Kuwaiti woman at the hospital two nights ago. She told me she lived in the US since she was 29. The first thing she told me was how she couldn’t wait to get back to America because she missed FREEDOM!
The US is far from perfect but when I go to a movie I want to see the whole damn thing! 😛
You could right whatever u want and not go to jail. The only rule is don’t attack the leadership. Other than that Kuwait ranks high on freedom of the press. If it didn’t I would have been in jail long time ago…
Mark – Things are changing very fast and we blog in English. It seems like when items are posted in Arabic, the information is distributed – and acted upon – much faster. There are still a lot of issues that I don’t bring up on my blog.
I miss Salmiya Cinema where you would go for the show, not the movie! 🙂 Ah, the days of the pager and the laser pointer….
Thanks Mark. 🙂 I wish that were true in my case. I had a scary and serious threat. It was legitimate. I wish I could write about it but will save that post for when I am safe at home to post.
I want to add that I wasn’t bashing Kuwait. I love it here! But I miss certain freedoms. Like seeing a movie from start to finish. 🙂
Its really sad, especially when it extends beyond just the sex scenes in films. My sister is doing masters degree in psychology and most of her books (printed abroad) arrive to Kuwait censored with some pages torn off. How can a scientist study if there is some tearing off pages from science books!
Its sad… really sad. I pity my country and what it is turning into.
@expatandthecity, thats just the way it is, deal with it
you wanna watch the whole movie, get it on DVD or find it on uTorrent 🙂
@3azeez, i used to study in a british school, our biology books come censored 🙂 thats how pathetic censoring is in kuwai.
Freedom of speech doesn’t necessarily mean freedom of expression…