Cinema of Yemen

The cinema of Yemen is very small, there being only two Yemeni films as of 2008. Released in 2005, A New Day in Old Sana'a deals with a young man struggling between whether to go ahead with a traditional marriage or go with the woman he loves.

The film faced several difficulties in this very conservative country: an Austrian actor due to appear in the film was stabbed, the reluctance of Yemeni women to appear in the film forced them to cast a Lebanese woman in the lead female role and the set was stormed on the first day of shooting by a group of Islamic extremists. There were considerable problems with the government over the film and its content.^{[citation needed]}

In August 2008, Yemen’s Interior Minister Mutahar al-Masri supported the launch of a new feature film to educate the public about the consequences of Islamist extremism. The Losing Bet was produced by Fadl al-Olfi. The plot follows two Yemeni jihadis, who return from years living abroad. They are sent home by an Al Qaeda mastermind to recruit new members and carry out deadly operations in Yemen.^[1]

Yemeni films

• A New Day in Old Sana'a (2005)
• The Losing Bet (2008)

Films shot in Yemen

• The English Sheik and the Yemeni Gentleman (American; 2000)
• Il fiore delle mille e una notte (Italian; 1974) - this film generated controversy in Yemen when it was discovered that the finished film contained sex scenes
• Le Mura di Sana (Italian short; 1964)
• Le Schiave Esistono Ancora (Italian; 1964)

List of Yemeni directors

• Bader Ben Hirsi

See also

• Cinema of the world

References

1. ^ http://www.pulitzercenter.org/openitem.cfm?id=1129 - Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, August 29, 2008

External Links

• Interview with Bader Ben Hirsi
• Article about Yemen's cinemas
• Article about the 'Rules of Engagement' controversy
• Guld News article about 'A New Day in Old Sana'a'
• Interview withe Yemeni actress Najla Atef
• Article about 'A New Day in Old Sana'a'
• Interview with Bader Ben Hirsi
• Review of 'A New Day in Old Sana'a'
• IMDB entry for Yemen

West Asian cinema

Cinema of Armenia Cinema of Azerbaijan Cinema of Bahrain Cinema of Cyprus Cinema of Georgia Cinema of Iran Iranian New Wave Cinema of Iraq Cinema of Israel Cinema of Jordan Cinema of Kuwait Cinema of Lebanon Cinema of Palestine Cinema of Saudi Arabia Cinema of Syria Cinema of Turkey Cinema of the U.A.E. Cinema of Yemen