The Message, Moustapha Akkad's 1976 film that tells the story of the Prophet Mohammed will finally run in cinemas across the Middle East, 42 years after the movie first failed to secure a regional release due to religious objections and false rumours that the film depicted the Prophet Mohammed, in contravention of religious laws.
Mohammed's voice and image are actually not in the film, neither are his wives and daughters: the central characters are, instead, people who lived around him, including his uncle and his adopted son.
Akkad’s historical epic was, ambitiously, filmed simultaneously in Arabic and English with two entirely different casts. The English-language version starred Anthony Quinn and was Oscar-nominated. The Arabic language version, meanwhile saw Abdullah Gaith take on Quinn’s Hamza role, but to date has never been widely seen in cinemas in the Arab world, even though Akkad, himself a Muslim, consulted closely with clerics throughout the film’s production and won the support for his project from one of the region's most prestigious universities, Al Azhar in Cairo.
The film went through a fraught production process, with many of its backers, including the Kuwaiti government, pulling out when it was rejected by the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia. The film was finally completed with funding from outside the region, as well as the governments of Morocco and Libya, who stood by Akkad’s project.
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The finished movie, however, attracted a fierce backlash and was banned in some territories in the Middle East, despite opening with the disclaimer: “The makers of this film honour the Islamic tradition which holds that the impersonation of the Prophet offends against the spirituality of his message. Therefore, the person of Mohammed will not be shown (or heard).”
Now, over four decades later, the movie is set to release widely in cinemas across the Middle East and North Africa, in a digitally restored 4k format that was created to mark the film's 40th anniversary, in both its English and Arabic versions, to celebrate the end of the holy month.
Gianluca Chakra, head of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, the distributor which is handling the release, commented: "[We] are proud to present the masterfully restored classic The Message in both Arabic and English, an undisputed cinematic landmark, to audiences this Eid. Profound and brilliantly acted, the film remains an entertaining, exquisite and compelling experience, as moving and relevant as it was on the day of its original release."
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
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About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900