AMMAN — Jordan has joined the Arab censorship bandwagon that
has banned the Marvel film “Eternals” for allegedly depicting same-sex
relationships.
اضافة اعلان
Chloé Zhao’s film “Eternals” features a new team of superheroes,
ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. An
unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against
humankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants. The film stars a number of
Hollywood stars, including Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie.
The film was also banned in GCC countries like Qatar, Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia, but not in the UAE, nor was it banned in Lebanon or Syria.
Egypt did, however, ban the movie.
The Jordan Media Commission (JMC) had requested a series of
edits on the film, which Disney and distribution companies were allegedly
unwillingly to make.
“After it was submitted to JMC for approval, we asked the
distributers to cut a few senses which are almost a minute from the film, and
won’t affect the artistic value or meaning of the movie. Since they refused to
delete some scenes, we decided to ban the film,” Tareq Abu Al Raghib, director
general of JMC, told
Jordan News.
Another reason to ban “Eternals”, Abu Al Raghib said is its
rating of PG-13. “Due the sexual content we asked them to make it 18, the
answer from distributors was to reject that,” he said. The decision to ban the
movie was in accordance with the Audio Visual Media Law.
From marvels point of view, Eternals was rated PG-13, which
often suggests the need for parents to be cautioned. It suggests content
included may not be appropriate for children under 13, or may include stronger
language, extended violence or sexual situations and drug-use.
Eternals received the ranking for “fantasy violence and
action, some language, and brief sexuality.” In this case, the PG-13 rating is considered
a problem due to societal standards in the Middle East.
Movies that come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
tend to be PG-13. However, this movie is the first time an LGBTQ couple is
depicted in the MCU.
Jordanian film director Mahmoud Al-Massad, who’s film
“Blessed Benefits” was banned in 2017 as it contained scenes that are “harmful
to the state’s deference”, told Jordan News that the same film was later screened
on Netflix, which made no sense to him.
“Why ban a film locally, asking to remove and delete a third
of the scenes in the film, which is detrimental to the work's technical (value)
and core focus,” Massad said.
“If you want to ban something for its content, they should start
with banning platforms such as Netflix, pornography, and others who make all
banned content, that are within an audience’s reach,” he said.
Nevertheless, Abu Al Raghib said the JMC does not have
control over unauthorized external content in Jordan.
“We believe in artists’ freedom and right to
express themselves and their opinions. This is one of the underlying principles
of the Royal Film Commission’s vision and we apply it in our daily work with
productions, trainings, and screenings,” said Mohannad Al Bakri, managing director
of the Royal Film Commission – Jordan.
“However, we are aware
that we are part of a society in a country governed by laws to which everybody
has to abide. Censoring films to be screened in Jordan is not our
responsibility nor falls within our scope of work. This is the role of the media
commission,” Bakri said.
Bayan Tal, a media and communications consultant, said that
“censorship is a form of guardianship where governments feel they own the truth
and can impose on people what they should read, or write, or watch.”
“People should be free to access information, and view
material or films, or read books without any interference from the state,” Tal
said, adding that censorship restricts not just freedoms but creativity and
critical thinking.
“I think people should have the opportunity to view
material, armed with the skills that they need to think critically about what
they are watching and what they are reading,” Tal said, adding that it is
important for parents to understand the impact of films or the games that their
children play, and any online content, and guide them through some of the
content.
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