Evidently, 8 Oscar nomination,  6 Golden Globe Awards (including 4 for the best film),  and numerous more worldwide nominations, prizes and  global recognition is not enough to bring Brokeback Mountain to the big screens of Lebanon.  This appears to be due to the subject matter of this acclaimed film -  love between gay men in the Western United States. 

 

Not long ago, it was reported that Brokeback Mountain has been prohibited from being screened in the U.A.E..  After GME received that report from the Gulf, we decided to check the chances of  the Lebanese public seeing the films in public theatres.   Unfortunately,  our news is not good.  To date, no Lebanese film distributor has purchased the rights to show the film in Lebanese theatres.  Ironically, the Lebanese film distributors have already purchased the rights to "Ice Age 2"  - a film that has not even been shown yet in the U.S.A. -but Brokeback Mountain, that was released in December 2005 (and has won so many awards) is being ignored by them. 

 

GME  attempted to contact various film distributors in Lebanon to further investigate.  Only the message that we left for "Empire Online"  got back to us with the following reply:  "Until now, no local distributor has picked up Brokeback Mountain for distribution in our territory, perhaps for fear of it not being cleared by censors given its subject matter." 

 

To add an additional twist to the ironic logic of the authorities in the middle east, all of Lebanese websites that deal with cinema and film are chock full of information about the film, it's merits, winnings, and subject matter.  However, not one of these sites dares to ask the question "why the film is not being shown in Lebanon." 

 

GME respectfully calls on one of the Lebanese film  distributors  to pick up the rights for the film and let the public judge for themselves.