Filmgoers in the
Persian Gulf region will not be seeing Brokeback
Mountain any time soon, since the region's film
distributor rejected the film over its gay content, BBC
News reported Tuesday.
Beirut-based
distributor Italia Films said it is not taking on the movie
because of negative feedback it received from Gulf
country government ministries over the film's gay plot.
The Gulf area typically includes Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
"We asked whether
a film with such a subject would be approved," said
Jean Shaheen of Italia Films. "They told us they would
rather not deal with it."
Homosexuality is
a serious offense--with punishments including flogging
and imprisonment--in the Persian Gulf region. (The
Advocate)