Saudi film festival another facet to whitewash horrendous rights abuses

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“A film festival without freedom of expression quickly descends into propaganda,” said Madawi Al-Rasheed, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

The Red Sea International Festival, a film festival launched by the Saudis in 2019, has for long been a target of critics. Saudi Arabia, which holds a taunting record for human rights abuses, including prison torture, murdering journalists, and endless war crimes, attempts to shine the limelight away from this reality to a more flowery scene -- a future of 'openness' under the reign of Mohamed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince. 

In an article written in The Guardian which pieces together what critics have been saying about the festival, Al-Rasheed, who is a prominent critic of the Saudi regime, asserted that “Sport and art will never be a substitute for real reform that includes civil and political rights. International films are used as a cover for a sinister scenario of detentions, beheadings, and murder by a regime that is desperate to break its isolation after it committed crimes in Yemen and against its own citizens.”

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Sami Khan, an Oscar-nominated director, also weighed in on the topic, being among many who have called for the boycott of the event: “I probably will pay a price for this … but I’m increasingly disturbed by the way repressive governments are using the global film industry to launder their reputations."

Recently, Saudi Arabia has been using the star-studded faces of international celebrities to whitewash its slate, in addition to hosting sports and cultural events, such as the most recent Formula One event that 'enjoyed' a Justin Bieber performance, among many others. 

Human Rights Watch concurs 

Human Rights Watch, within this context, contended that “Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and major international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses.”

A report by the Human Rights Watch contends that Saudi Arabia is funneling billions of dollars into entertainment and events aimed at whitewashing its horrendous slate of human rights abuses, from torture reports to murdering journalists, to executing dissidents. 

“The Saudi government is going all out to bury its egregious human rights abuses beneath public spectacles and sporting events,” said Michael Page, Deputy Middle East Director at HRW. “Unless they express concerns over Saudi Arabia’s serious abuses, Formula One and participating performers risk bolstering the Saudi government’s well-funded efforts to whitewash its image despite a significant increase in repression over the last few years.”

This is an intricate plan: With the Vision 2030 that MBS set for Saudi Arabia, in 2016, a General Entertainment Authority was created, and billions of dollars were used to invest in the local entertainment industry. Over 64 billion dollars were planned to be invested in music, entertainment, sports, art, film, and more, complementing sports, tourism, and culture ministries.