publish time

19/12/2021

author name Arab Times

publish time

19/12/2021

DUBAI, Dec 19, (AP): The United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday that it will no longer censor films released in cinemas, the country’s latest effort to boost its brand as a liberal hub attractive to foreigners. Instead of cutting sensitive scenes that could offend traditional Islamic sensibilities, the Emirati Media Regulatory Authority will introduce a new 21+ age category for viewers.

“The movies will be screened in cinemas according to their international version,” the authority said in a Twitter post. Censors in the UAE, like elsewhere in the Middle East, have long removed scenes in cinematic releases that show nudity, homosexuality, sex and other content deemed inappropriate - sometimes leading to plot holes.