Friday, February 11, 2011
How the Egypt Crisis Has Shut Down Show Business
Backstage.com: "The political crisis in Egypt has had a devastating impact on the entertainment industry in the country that has been called the 'Hollywood of the Middle East.' 'Everything is shut down; life is at a standstill,' producer Marianne Khoury, who runs MISR International Films ('September 11,' 'El Medina') with her brother Gabriel, told The Hollywood Reporter. 'People are glued to their TVs.'
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5 comments:
It is interesting to see hear some account of what the crisis in Egypt is doing to regular people. It also makes a ton of sense that since the government has shut down the Internet people have turned to TV as a means of getting information. While I think that this article is a little ridiculous given all that is going on in Egypt, it is important to acknowledge that because of what is going on the country it will be different afterwards and will have different wants in terms of entertainment. Shutting down the Internet is such a ludicrous way of stopping protests. By shutting down the Internet the government has basically gotten rid of people's way of protesting and now they feel like they won't be heard unless they take to the streets. I think this could in fact be very good for the arts because if people are standing up it means that art and social action will come out of it. What people want to do is express how they feel about the government, and art and social action go hand in hand in making that happen. No one likes what is going on in Egypt but it is very hard to not want to watch what happens. Because the Internet is so new no government has ever shut it down completely and that makes one want to watch what will happen without it and how people will go about getting it back.
It really is a crucial time for the people in Egypt; however, I can't be helped but to wonder if the people in Egypt care at all currently about the state of entertainment, besides the producers who are making a fortune. Additionally, the paragraph about a producer planning to film a story about a fruit vendor setting himself on fire is a bit too disturbing. The country is in a middle of a crisis, and despite it not being resolved, some producers are looking for "a story to tell" amidst all the chaos. I feel it is too soon, even if money definitely not part of the intention of making such a movie.
While, as others have mentioned, this article seems to be worrying about issues that should be falling to the wayside when a crisis like this occurs; it does give a perspective on the ripple effects of the situation. It is important to understand the economic damage that happens, in addition to the threats to people's safety and freedom. While this event may not be benefiting show business right now, Zoe is right, the uprising of people and the fight for rights is cultivating a hotbed of creative and empowered art. That may not be apparent now, but it will prove to be prominent later on in Egypt. We can only wish the Egyptian people well right now, and maybe make some art of our own in order to support them.
There is a interesting dichotomy here. In crisis, people become less concerned with the creation and attendance of arts and more concerned with personal safety. If there is rioting in the street then no one is really making plans to attend the the theater. On the reverse, times like these are a creative hotbed. I imagine that in less than a year there will be movies, plays and musical based on these events but now is not the practical time to create them. It becomes a situation of art imitating life imitating art.
On a slightly relevant note, I was surprised to hear from people within the school that not everyone really knew about what has been going on in Egypt. I am the first to admit I'm not as informed as I should be, but by scanning the New York Times headlines and reading a few articles, I at least knew that there was a shutdown of the internet and massive political protest going on. I think that a lot of us (myself included) claim to be too busy within the drama "bubble" to keep up with the outside world, but news like this can lead to discussions about the importance of communication and the power of protest as they relate to our own community, and we should make sure we have a sense of awareness as to what's happening on the other side of Purnell's walls.
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