Cleopatra
Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt
An Egyptian attorney has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, a well-known streaming service. Following the release of the trailer for the upcoming film “Queen Cleopatra,” the attorney filed a case with the Public Prosecutor requesting that the platform be closed.
The film portrays the Greek verifiable figure as a dark lady, a depiction that has caused contention and started shock in Egypt.
Pic Credit : Netflix
The legal counsellor from Egypt has sued the OTT stage looking for that their web-based features be prohibited in the nation where Cleopatra governed as the nation’s last dynamic ruler from 51–30 BC for 21 years.
Netflix chose British actress Adele James to play the queen in the most recent documentary, Queen Cleopatra, which will be released on May 10 and is known for its antiquity, its portrayal of the romantic femme fatale, and its depiction of her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
According to the Egyptian attorney, Netflix is distorting Egyptian history and favouring the promotion of Afrocentrism. In the trailer for the documentary, which was made public a week ago, Al-Semary also mentioned distorted standards.
“Most of what Netflix platform displays do not conform to Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones,” he stated in his complaint.
He went on to say that “there must be pride in the makings of such work” in order “to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world.”
Al-Semary isn’t the main individual who has protested a to a ‘person of colour’ being given a role as Cleopatra.
Others criticized the documentary’s casting, with Egypt’s former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass stating that the portrayal of Cleopatra was “totally fake.” Cleopatra was Greek, it was blonde, not Dark”.
“We don’t often get to see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!” was the contention that surrounded the casting of Queen Cleopatra. The BBC said that Netflix did.
At first, Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress best known for her role in Wonder Woman, was supposed to play Cleopatra. The decision, on the other hand, sparked a significant public outcry and Netflix was accused of “blackwashing” the historical figure.
Despite the fact that Cleopatra was Macedonian, campaigns were launched to recast her and cast an Arab or African actress as her.
Gal Gadot stated to the BBC, “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian.”
“We were searching for a Macedonian entertainer that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was extremely enthusiastic about Cleopatra.”
She went on to say, “I have friends from across the globe, whether they’re Muslims, Christians, Catholics, atheists, Buddhists, or Jewish, of course. People are people.” “With me, I want to celebrate the legacy of Cleopatra and honour this amazing historic icon that I admire so much,” she said.
The complaint addressed Public Prosecution in further detail: We ask and request that you take the necessary legal action against this platform in order to safeguard the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians worldwide.
Through films aimed at falsifying and distorted Egypt’s history, it demanded that all films aimed at obliterating and distorting the Egyptian identity be stopped from being shown on television.
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