Egypt’s Board of Censors has issued a report demanding the removal of two full scenes from the 2009 film “al-Mossafer” (The Traveler) prior to screening it in Egyptian cinemas.
The censors objected to an intimate love scene between actor Khaled al-Nabawy and actress Cyrine Abdel Nour, and another of a woman breastfeeding on a bus.
Ahmed Maher, the director and screenwriter of “al-Mossafer”, insists that removing the scenes altogether would disrupt the storyline. The first scene shows details of the relationship that lead to the heroine getting pregnant, explains Maher. However, he said he would agree to shortening them if the censors insisted.
A meeting is being scheduled with the head of the official Board of Censors, Sayed Khattab, to resolve the problem and obtain the required license for screening “al-Mossafer”. The film is scheduled to show simultaneously in Egyptian and French cinemas on 13 July.
Omar al-Sherif, Khaled al-Nabawy, Cyrine Abdel Nour, and Sherif Ramzy star in the film.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
