Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

Bad news, guys and gals. The sequel to "Sex and the CIty," may not be shown in Abu Dhabi, even though it's supposedly (but not really) the setting for much of the film.
There's some speculation below about why this might happen, but I think it's pretty obvious: Although the first one was quite a conventional bomb; S&C 2 shows signs of going nuclear.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Troubled relationships are nothing new for "Sex and the City" story lines. But this one takes it to a different level: a possible snub from the Gulf city that plays the exotic backdrop for the movie sequel.

Less than two weeks before the release of "Sex and the City 2," it's unclear whether the film will be shown in oil-rich Abu Dhabi � the scripted setting where Carrie and her chic New York posse swap their Jimmy Choos for sandals and kick some sand at Middle Eastern traditions.

It's already been a rocky rapport. Emirates' officials turned down a request to film on location, forcing the crew to head to Morocco and recreate the Abu Dhabi setting. In 2008, the original "Sex and the City" film was not shown in the United Arab Emirates, where censors routinely remove scenes such as kissing, nudity and expletives from movies and television shows.

And Shooting Stars, the UAE representatives for distributor Warner Bros., said Emirates officials have still not made a decision about bringing the film to cinemas in the Gulf state after its May 27 release date.

The National Media Council, responsible for oversight of films and other media in the UAE, declined to comment.

The film exposes some of the complexities for Gulf cities trying to compete on the international stage. Abu Dhabi has aggressively marketed itself as an emerging hub for film studios and production companies. But there's a high sensitivity about plots perceived as too racy or politically charged about regional affairs.

The UAE's refusal to participate in the film reflects a desire to "control their brand," said Leila Hudson, graduate director of Near Eastern studies at the University of Arizona.

"To the Emiratis, that 'city' in the (movie) title sounds like it's referring � logically enough � to their Abu Dhabi rather than New York. That's a little too in your face," Hudson said.

Candace Bushnell's novel "Sex and the City" that formed the basis for the movies can be found prominently displayed among best-sellers in Dubai bookstores, however.

The trailer for the movie invites fans of the fashionable four to "discover how much fun forbidden can be," but scenes depicting Abu Dhabi and the Arabian desert are actually 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away in North Africa.

In real life, Abu Dhabi plays the role of more conservative patriarch compared with its flashier neighbor Dubai � and has increasingly sets the tone for the rest of the country in the slower economic times.

Abu Dhabi's oil wealth has kept development chugging along, including satellite galleries of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums. It also appears to have exerted more pressure on Dubai authorities to rein in the Western-style freedoms that can offend conservative Gulf values.

Last month, an appeals court upheld a one-month jail sentence to a couple convicted of breaking moral codes by sharing a passionate kiss in a Dubai restaurant.

A Dubai-based movie theater manager said the "Sex and the City" sequel is still on the "tentative" schedule. She holds out hope it will be cleared for local theaters.

"Sometimes distributors and local censor board make changes at the last minute," said Hyacinth Quijano, an assistant manager for Reel Cinemas in the Dubai Mall.

Regards,
John

[kiefer]

???

[teechar]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the film is pretty culturally insensitive. I have only seen the previews, but I was surprised at the concept especially before I knew it was filmed elsewhere.

I am all for freedom of speech and the like, but I think disregarding the customs of one's supposed host is out of order. Sex and the City and the Middle East don't mix (in public anyway).

My two cents.

[veiledsentiments]

I was actually shocked when the TV series arrived on sat TV there. You really can't get much more culturally inappropriate than this series. I didn't bother with the movie, but might watch this one... though I know it will just make me angry.

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

I don't see the film as requiring ESL teachers' censorship if it wasn't even shot within 3000 miles of the country. And I certainly wouldn't judge it by its out-of-context and possibly misleading trailers.

Hollywood's only movie to ever have been filmed on location in Singapore was Peter Bogdanovich's wonderful 1978 character study Saint Jack, about an American brothel owner (Ben Gazzara) and his British pal (Denholm Elliot). The production used all local people, real people acting in the film, including tons of prostitutes. It's the only movie I've ever seen with genuine Singapore/KL accents or dialects if you will.

Naturally the Nanny State would never have allowed Bogdanovich to create the movie there if he hadn't piggy-backed on a production of "Hawaii Five-Oh" that was being shot at the same time, pretending certain scnees were part of the TV show, in addition to submitting a fake script to Nanny authorities.

I'm not impressed with cries and hues of cultural insensitivity of a movie shot thousands of miles away. Nobody is beholden to foreign sensitivities when writing a book or filming a movie not intended for that particular foreign audience. I've seen films from Japan, for example, set in the US that depicted all New Yorkers as crazed killers slamming their heads against walls when not murdering people. I know some of you would have loved that. But in the more established nations we don't feel threatened by hyperbolic satire, let alone a little accurate criticism.

[ardiles81]

First off - it's not exactly culture is it? Well, I don't think so... but if you want sex in the city there are tens of thousands of young ladies in Dubai, working girls, many of whom do not necessarily want to be there who the government are happy to turn a blind eye too.

All part of being a power packing business orientated country eh?

[bje]

[veiledsentiments]

Setting it in Dubai would have made more sense... I couldn't figure out why they chose Abu Dhabi... of all places.

VS

[teechar]

My friend's brother who lives in Abu Dhabi (an Arab if it matters) hadn't heard about the film. He said that the UAE is showing some regret for projecting the image of being overly permissive of Western culture hence the recent high profile deportations of foreigners not obeying decency laws. I imagine there might be a crack down on some of the hypocrisy including the sex trafficking and prostitution in the coming years.

I don't think anyone here is censoring the film. I mean, how would we even do that? We are simply stating opinions in regards to its content. I don't care where it was shot; I still think it is offensive, and I'm allowed to have that opinion. Scantily clad women drinking booze while riding on camels is certainly not an accurate representation of what one might expect from Abu Dhabi, which is more conservative than Dubai. I think Dubai has lost its appeal though based on the above mentioned deportations.

[Vancouver Girl]

You know what I find culturally insensitive?
Women? men? human beings? parading around downtown Vancouver in death shrouds.
What can I do about it?...Nada.

Does anyone imagine that a bunch of studio execs in LA were sitting around the lunch table one day and decided "Hey, let's set the next Sex in the City flick in the world's most beguiling and romantic city....Abu Dhabi!!"

A more likely scenario...some megalomaniacal sheikh wanted to play Hollywood Mogul..backed the film and insisted his hometown be featured in it.
Is that far fetched? Remember the Emirates already owns half of CNN and has just about every PR agency in Christendom on retainer.

[eslgypsy]

My girls just went to see Sex in the City last night and they were shocked at how negatively the people of Abu Dhabi are portrayed. They felt the film showed the people of Abu Dhabi as closed-minded fundamentalists who sneer at a woman wearing knee-length baggy shorts. The men in particular are characterized as drooling morons. Having lived there for over 9 years, my girls know better. The average western audience member, on the other hand, will leave with a very negative impression of the country. Shame on Hollywood.

[Sheikh N Bake]

Oh, there's more than a grain of truth in it, if that's what the film shows. What do you think AD is--London? San Francisco? It's just a B-grade movie and it's gotten very negative reviews in the US/western press, the politically incorrect stance being only one of many reasons.

The American people (not just the government) have been portrayed in a horrendously bigoted fashion in the Emirati press certainly since 1997 when I arrived there. No one protested when the Gulf News used such terms as "stupid Americans

A low-rated movie is just that. It's a movie that very few will take seriously, like the Gulf News outside the Gulf.

[veiledsentiments]

[MrScaramanga]

Ahem, everyone, it's Sex AND the city, not Sex IN the city...
And I really don't think setting it Dubai would have made any difference. The UAE is trying for a new more culturally appropriate image (their culture, that is), hence the recent crackdown on insensitivities.
MrS

[Sheikh N Bake]