German broadcaster ARD has been accused of censorship by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir after her film Wajib was removed from its scheduled television slot.
Although it was released in 2017, the wedding comedy was due to have its premiere on German TV in a prime-time slot this Sunday. However, the public broadcaster – one of the world's largest with an annual budget of about €7bn (Dh28bn) and more than 20,000 employees – cancelled it without explanation.
Filmmaker Jacir tells The National: “Honestly, it’s ridiculous. I don’t understand at all.
“German TV just censored the film – it was scheduled to have its German TV premiere on November 19 and they decided to ban it, remove it entirely from their programming.”
In a statement shared with The National, ARD says it plans to screen Wajib at a later date, but removed it "given the recent events in the Middle East".
“In the context of drastic social or global political events, we check whether our planned programme offerings are in line with the current situation,” the ARD statement reads.
“Wajib from 2017 has already been shown to the public at festivals. Given the recent events in the Middle East, we currently think it is not properly placed in the programme due to its narrative perspective. The release of the film Wajib will be postponed to a later date.
“Presenting different perspectives is of utmost importance to us, also with regard to the Middle East conflict. Our news, magazine and special programmes are particularly suitable for this. Our documentary offerings also reflect the different perspectives of the debate.”
The move is the latest case of Palestinian artists having work cancelled in Germany since the Israel-Gaza war began.
Last month, several Arab publishers pulled out of the Frankfurt Book Fair after a planned prize for author Adania Shibli was scrapped, while artist Emily Jacir – the older sister of Jacir – had a planned talk in Berlin cancelled.
Emily did not directly name the event in an Instagram post, although it coincided with her name being removed from the online participant list of the Images of History in Contemporary Art programme at the University of Potsdam.
Jacir's film Wajib – a comic road trip around Nazareth that follows a Palestinian father and his highly westernised son who lives in Italy as they hand-deliver wedding invitations – picked up several awards on its release. It won the Muhr awards for Best Fiction Feature Film and Best Actor (for Mohammad Bakri and Saleh Bakri) at the Dubai International Film Festival 2017, and the Arab Critics Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (for Mohammad Bakri) at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
Germany is no stranger to Jacir’s work – Wajib was co-produced by Hamburg’s Klinkerfilm, while Hamburg broadcaster NDR, itself a constituent member of the ARD family, also backed the film.
Jacir's second feature, When I Saw You, picked up the Best Asian Film prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012, while her in-production latest The Oblivion Theory picked up the top prize at the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2021.
Ironically, both of those German-awarded films, unlike the relatively genteel comedy that is Wajib, deal directly with the political situation in Palestine. The former follows freedom fighters among the Palestinian diaspora in Jordan, while the latter reimagines Jose Eduardo Agualusa’s Booker-shortlisted novel A General Theory of Oblivion, a story based around the Angolan War of Independence in the setting of the first intifada in Gaza.
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
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7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
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Squid Game season two
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Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
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Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'
Bournemouth 1
Wilson 44'
Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
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Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
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Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
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Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
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- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
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List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
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Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Race results:
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The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
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Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
