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Tunisian To Distribute ‘Passion Of The Christ’ In France
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By
Hadi Yahmid
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04/03/2004
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Ben
Ammer co-produced a number of blockbuster movies
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Mel Gibson's explosive movie “The
Passion of the Christ” will make its debut in France in April 2004
as a Tunisian businessman said he would distribute it.
Tarek
Ben Ammar, who lives in Paris and manages Carthago Films, told French
daily Le Figaro on Tuesday, March 2, he took the decision out
of confidence that the move was neither anti-Semitic nor racist.
He
said Gibson, who co-wrote, directed and financed the epic which
vividly depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life, is his
friend and told him about the movie whet it was on paper.
Ben
Ammar, who is major film broker with close ties to media tycoon Rupert
Murdoch and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Bersluconi, said it was his
duty as a Muslim believing in Christianity and monotheist religions to
make the movie available for the French, who can then judge for
themselves.
Ben
Ammar had taken part in producing popular films like “Jesus of
Nazareth”, the “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
series.
Marin
Karmitz, president of the French National Federation of Film
Distributors, angrily rejected reports that the film might be
boycotted because of fears it could stoke anti-Semitism -- saying the
row was manufactured as a marketing device.
The
Jewish lobby in France, which has a Jewish population of 500,000, are
expected to launch a counter offensive in the days to come to stop the
movie.
Yona
Metzger, one of Israel's two leading rabbis called for a boycott of
the film, which he claimed was “untrue, deliberately violent and
encouraged anti-Semitism”.
Gibson,
the star of the “Lethal Weapon” series and “Brave heart”, has staunchly
defended himself and his movie against the charge of
anti-Semitism.
The
controversial movie was shot to number one in North America last
weekend, earning more cash than all the other top films combined.
Since
its February 25 debut, the movie, which was financed with some $25
million, has earned about $125.1 million in ticket receipts in the
United States and Canada.
It
received positive feedback from audience with some of them saying that
there was nothing anti-Semitic in this movie. (Click
here to see viewers’ reactions).
Muslims
believe that Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) was
not crucified and that God saved and raised him as
someone else was crucified in his place.
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