#Cinema #News | Timbuktu, 50 Shades & Exodus Get People Talking!

Here are three movies that get people talking this year. One of them is highly appraised, the other had to be reedited and the third one was banned!

 “Timbuktu,”  a film set in the ancient north Malian city when it was under control of Muslim extremists, was the big star at Friday’s 40th annual César awards, the French Academy Awards. The movie plays out in Timbuktu during its occupation in 2012 by Muslim extremists who oversaw harsh Sharia law. It was nominated for awards in eight categories and sweeping up seven. Abderrahmane Sissako, became the first black African director to win a Cesar. “Timbuktu” is also competing for the Oscar for best foreign film at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.

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Since the beginning of the year, Moroccans can finally watch the Hollywood biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” with some imposed modifications.  A ban implemented on December 2014 has now been lifted with part of the soundtrack silenced. The film was previously banned because of a scene “representing God”, which is forbidden under Islam. Before Exodus could hit theaters, the filmmakers had to remove two audio passages that alluded to the personification of God.

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The Kenya Film Classification Board has banned "50 Shades of Grey" the much-awaited erotic movie, which hit big screens in major cities in the world on Valentine’s Day. “The board wishes to inform the public, film operators and stakeholders that the film, 50 Shades of Grey has been restricted. It should not be screened or distributed to the public,” a statement from the board said. The novels are notable for their explicit and erotic scenes that feature elements of sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism. This may be the reason why it did not pass Kenya's sexual portrayals test.

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