Guy Ritchie leads stars accused of art-washing ahead of participation in Saudi Arabia film festival
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Some of the biggest names in the British film industry have been accused of engaging in ‘art-washing’ after agreeing to take part in a film festival in Saudi Arabia next week.
The regime has reportedly carried out 12 beheadings in recent weeks and government agents are widely believed to have killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
This Thursday, director Guy Ritchie will receive an ‘honorary award in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the film industry’ at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. He will also give a talk about his career at the event, which is led by the country’s culture minister.
ALISON BOSHOFF: Some of the biggest names in the British film scene accused of involvement in ‘art washing’ after agreeing to take part in a film festival in Saudi Arabia next week (Guy Ritchie pictured in 2017)
Ritchie’s agent at WME did not respond to requests for comment, nor did his lawyer Matthew Saver.
It is not known if the director received any compensation for attending, but industry sources say it would be standard for attendees to receive one, as well as free travel and accommodation.
There’s even more British involvement, with two British films – Sam Mendes’ Empire Of Light, starring Olivia Colman, and Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got To Do With It, starring Lily James and Dame Emma Thompson – shown at the event. are shown.
The latter, a romcom written by Jemima Khan, will be the opening night premiere. It was created by British film company Working Title, whose co-chairs – Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner – are both CBEs.
Uh-oh: It’s unknown if the director received any compensation for attending, but industry sources say it would be standard for attendees to receive one, as well as free travel and accommodation (pictured in 2015)
Khan plans to attend but says she was worried about the decision. “I have always been and remain critical of human rights violations by the Saudi government. But I learned from my years in Pakistan that while avoiding people rarely brings about change, engagement through art and culture sometimes can.
“I’ve thought about this a lot and I think on balance it’s valuable to show a film about multiculturalism and tolerance, with strong, independent women, in a country where just five years ago going to the cinema was illegal and women were not allowed to drive, go out in public without a male ‘guardian’, let alone make films.’
A spokesperson for Thompson, a strong advocate for human rights and supporting organizations such as Amnesty International, said this week she would not be attending. She would be on a press trip to promote the film Matilda.
Agents for Lily James have not returned requests for comment. Music producer Naughty Boy, who also worked on the film, confirmed on Monday that he’s going, saying, “I’m looking forward to it.”
Oh dear: there’s even more British involvement, with two British films — Sam Mendes’ Empire Of Light, starring Olivia Colman (pictured October 2022), and Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got To Do With It, starring Lily James and Dame Emma Thompson — screened at the event
What’s Love Got To Do With It has been entered for the Festival by distributor Studio Canal. No one at the company declined to comment this week.
The Red Sea International Film Festival is run by a foundation chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud, the Saudi Minister of Culture.
Of course, film isn’t the only UK industry linked to the Saudis, but a Human Rights Watch spokesperson urged celebrities to limit their involvement, or at least speak out about human rights abuses while there.
“Saudi authorities often use international cultural festivals as a tool for reputation laundering, just as they have used previous celebrities and sporting events to try and whitewash their rather dire image,” the New York-based organization’s representative recently said.
We do not take a position on boycott, but we urge people to inform themselves as well as possible about what is going on, and ask them to use their platform to speak out about abuses.’
Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s Economic Affairs program director, took a similar view: “Whether actors and directors go to Jeddah is their business, but we strongly urge attendees to use their platforms to raise human rights issues to set.
“Earlier this year, Saudi authorities executed 81 people in a single day, juvenile offenders are currently on death row, and we’ve seen Twitter users like Leeds student Salma al-Shehab receive massive jail terms; and there has never been proper accountability for the shocking murder of Jamal Khashoggi.”
Hollywood director Oliver Stone serves as the festival’s jury president.
Problematic: A Jemima Khan-written romcom will premiere at a film festival in Saudi Arabia next week (pictured in October 2022)