Kuwaiti director and producer Farrah Al-Hashem

KUWAIT: Award-winning Kuwaiti director and producer Farrah Al-Hashem's film 'Breakfast in Beirut' was banned from the inaugural Kuwait Film Festival held from March 24 to 28. In an exclusive interview with Kuwait Times, Hashem said she was surprised by this move, especially after she had been invited to submit her entry for the fest.

"My feature film 'Breakfast in Beirut' is a fictional documentary that depicts the lives of 13 Lebanese people who live outside their country. The film is about the Lebanese environment and life - what it's like to be outside your country; what it's like to live in another place, what is identity and what is home. It talks about finding your home," Hashem said.

Hashem was disappointed that her movie was banned because of certain scenes that had been requested to be removed by the censorship department of the ministry of information. But so far, she has received no official notice from the information ministry and was only told by an official there that the film hadn't been screened. "I'm still waiting for this letter. When I spoke with the ministry, they said they never even saw the movie. So I'm still figuring this out," Hashem told Kuwait Times. Notably, Farrah Al-Hashem is the daughter of controversial columnist and writer Fouad Al-Hashem and niece of outspoken MP Safaa Al-Hashem.  ( For more details click here)

KUWAIT TIMES EXCLUSIVE

By Nawara Fattahova