The Sheik and I Page #9

THEY WOULD DO WOULD BE TO

ARREST YOU, UPON ARRIVAL.

NO.

I WOULDN'T INVOLVE SOMEONE

IN THE STORY:

BEFORE YOU LEF:

AND THEN IF THA WERE TO OCCUR I MEAN...

I JUST MEAN LIKE--

I WOULD HAVE TO GO

WITH A JOURNALIST.

YEAH.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

YEAH.

LIKE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES.

OR LIKE OBAMA:

WOULD HAVE TO COME WITH ME.

AND HOLD MY HAND.

EXACTLY.

THEY COULD REALLY DO A FATWA.

ALL YOU NEED IS SOME PERSON

WHO SAYS THAT IT'S BLASPHEMOUS

AND IT COULD LIKE CREATE A STIR.

PEOPLE COULD LIKE GET ALL RILED

UP AND THEY COULD LIKE COME

AFTER ME, RIGHT?

FROM HERE?

FROM HERE, YEAH.

WELL LIKE THE GUY WHO KILLED

THEO VAN GOGH IN HOLLAND.

IT WAS IN HOLLAND.

HE WAS ON HIS BICYCLE

IN HIS HOMETOWN OF HOLLAND.

THIS GUY CAME:

UP TO HIM WITH A GUN

ON THE STREET AND SHOT HIM.

AND IT'S BECAUSE HE MADE

A FILM WHERE HE PROJECTED

VERSES FROM THE KORAN

ON A WOMAN'S BODY, BUT JUS

THE FACT THAT HE MADE THIS FILM

THAT HAD SOME COMPLICATED THING

TO SAY ABOUT ISLAM AND WOMEN,

SOME GUY KILLED HIM.

I MEAN IF THEY'RE THAT ANGRY

ABOUT IT FROM OVER THERE.

RIGHT,

THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T WAN TO TALK ABOUT IT IN FRON

OF MANDY BECAUSE, SHE'S--

WOULD GET HYSTERICAL.

SHE'S VERY AFRAID.

SHE'S ALREADY AFRAID.

SO, THAT'S ONE REASON

NOT TO GO, BUT IT'S ALSO

TRUE THAT WE COULD

BE KILLED HERE.

LIKE THEY'RE BASICALLY

A TRIBAL SOCIETY

THAT'S JUST TRYING

TO SUDDENLY BE MODERN,

AND THEY STILL HAVE ONE FOO IN TRIBAL REVENGE MODE

AND ANOTHER FOO IN SOME KIND

OF INTERNATIONAL

ARTS FESTIVAL MODE.

AND LIKE I WAS TALKING

TO ALAN BERLINER ABOUT IT TODAY,

AND HE WAS JUST SAYING...

"YOU FOUND JUS THE RIGHT BUTTON TO PRESS.

"IT'S EXACTLY THE THING

THAT WOULD LIKE PISS THEM OFF.

"THAT WOULD RILE THEM UP.

"THAT WOULD LIKE CREATE

CONTROVERSY.

"BUT IT'S TRUE YOU COULD DIE.

AND ON SOME LEVEL YOU HAVE TO BE

WILLING TO DIE FOR YOUR ART."

YEAH I MEAN THESE GUYS

ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR RELIGION

CLEARLY.

I MEAN I'M SERIOUS TOO

ABOUT MINE, WHICH IS CINEMA.

BUT IT'S LIKE

IT'S LIKE THERE'S A WAR,

A RELIGIOUS WAR:

BETWEEN LIKE DIFFEREN IDEAS OF GOD REALLY.

AND THIS IS LIKE A

DIFFERENT IDEA OF GOD.

AND LIKE THEY'RE LIKE,

"WE WILL KILL YOU."

I MEAN THERE IS THIS IDEA

IN THE QURAN THAT GOD

IS EVERYWHERE,

WHEREVER YOU TURN YOUR FACE,

YOU'LL FIND THE FACE OF GOD.

SO, THERE IS THIS IDEA,

BUT NOT AS A TREE OR AS A STONE

OR AS SOMETHING CREATION,

BECAUSE CREATION IS CREATED.

HE IS UNCREATED SO HE CANNO

BE PART OF CREATION,

BUT HE IS TRANSCENDENTLY

PRESENT OR TRANSCENDENTLY

EVERYWHERE.

BUT SO ANYWAY, CAMILLE, TOLD

ME ONCE THAT HE WAS A BIG FAN

OF THE FILM WAKING LIFE,

WHICH I WAS IN, AND THA THAT FILM HAD MEANT A LO

TO HIM AND THA HE ESPECIALLY

LOVED MY SCENE.

AND SO WHAT FILM

IS ACTUALLY CAPTURING

IS LIKE GOD, INCARNATE, CREATING

YOU KNOW, AND LIKE THIS VERY

MOMENT, LIKE YOU KNOW, UM,

GOD IS MANIFESTING

AS THIS AND WHAT THE FILM

WOULD CAPTURE IF IT WAS FILMING

US RIGHT NOW WOULD BE LIKE GOD

AS THIS TABLE AND GOD

AS YOU AND GOD AS ME,

AND GOD LOOKING THE WAY

WE LOOK RIGHT NOW AND SAYING

AND THINKING WHAT WE'RE THINKING

RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT IS--WE

ALL GOD MANIFEST IN THAT SENSE.

AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE FILM

MEANT A LOT TO HIM AND ALSO

THAT IT HAD MEANT A LOT TO HAIG,

WHO HAD BEEN HIS ROOMMATE

IN COLLEGE, AND THA THEY'D ACTUALLY

WATCHED THE FILM TOGETHER

AND HAD BEEN REALLY MOVED

BY IT, AND INSPIRED

TO TRY TO MAKE MOVIES,

SO FILM IS ACTUALLY

LIKE A RECORD OF GOD

OR A FACE OF GOD

OR OF THE EVER-CHANGING

FACE OF GOD.

YOU HAVE A MOSQUITO, DO YOU WAN ME TO GET IT FOR YOU?

GOT IT. I GOT IT?

YEAH YOU GOT IT.

TALKING ABOUT IMAGES? YES.

I MEAN IMAGES IF THEY WERE NO POWERFUL AND COULD BE MISTAKEN

FOR GOD OR FOR SUBSTITUTE OF GOD

OR FOR MEDIUM TO GOD THEN THERE

WOULD NOT BE THIS CENSORSHIP

ON CREATING IMAGES.

BUT ANYWAY I KEEP

CALLING RASHA AND HAIG.

THEY WEREN'T ANSWERING.

AND I EMAILED,

AND THEY WOULDN'T ANSWER,

AND THEN FINALLY THEY SAID,

"WE CAN TALK NOW."

IT'S NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

[SASHA]

YEAH. HOW ARE YOU?

DEPRESSED. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN TELL ME?

THE STORY...

I'M SORRY. I'M HAVING

A HARD TIME:

I'M GOING TO CUT OFF THE VIDEO,

BECAUSE THE CONNECTION

IS NOT GOOD, OKAY?

CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME?

YEAH.

BASED ON HOW THINGS

ARE BEING TALKED ABOUT HERE

IS THAT THE KIND OF

THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE FILM

OR THE SPIRIT OF THE FILM

IS PROBLEMATIC.

AND THEY WERE DEFENDING

JACK PERSEKIAN'S BAN

ON THE MOVIE AND HIS

THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION.

ALL THAT STUFF,

THEY WERE DEFENDING IT.

AND I WAS LIKE,

"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?

"YOU GUYS ARE CURATORS.

LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

I DON'T REALLY CARE

ABOUT WHETHER THE BIENNIAL

SHOWS IT OR NOT THAT MUCH,

BUT I DO CARE:

ABOUT MY FREEDOM

TO EXPRESS MYSELF,

AND JACK IS TRYING

TO STOP THAT.

CAVEH, LIKE, THERE'S LIMITS

TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH

IN THE STATES AS WELL.

LIKE YOU WOULDN'

BE ABLE TO KIND:

OF LIGHT-HEARTEDLY, YOU KNOW,

PLAY WITH THE THINGS

LIKE THE HOLOCAUS OR CHILD ABUSE OR...

YES, YOU ARE LEGALLY

ENTITLED TO DO THAT.

QUITE A FEW PEOPLE FEEL

THAT YOUR REPRESENTATION

IS RACIST, THEN,

THAT'S A VERY SERIOUS CHARGE.

THERE IS FREEDOM

OF EXPRESSION OF COURSE.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN

MY REPUTATION IS RACIST?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

THAT'S THE REPRESENTATION

OF ISLAM AND MUSLIM RITUALS.

IS RACIST?

YES.

HOLD ON A SECOND.

FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE

THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY

FILM I WANT ABOU THE SITUATION.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHY

YOU THINK I DON'T, BUT I DO.

NO ONE CAN STOP ME DOING

THAT UNLESS YOU KILL ME.

OKAY?

[GUN FIRES]

UM...[CLEARS THROAT]

IT'S NOT BULLSHIT.

YOU KNOW WHAT? BLASPHEMY

HERE IS BEYOND SERIOUS, OKAY?"

AND THEY WERE LIKE, "WELL

WHAT IF SOMEBODY DECIDES

"TO BOMB THE CINEMA

WHERE THE FILM IS PLAYING

"BECAUSE THEY'RE SO ANGRY

AND INDIGNANT OF YOUR FILM

THAT THEY BLOW UP THE CINEMA

AND ALL THESE PEOPLE DIE?"

WHAT IF THAT HAPPENED?

THEN THEY WOULDN'T BE

WORTH IT WOULD IT?

WE STILL SAY WE SHOULD SHOW IT?

I WAS LIKE, "NO.

"OF COURSE I DON'T WANT PEOPLE

TO GET KILLED, BUT YOU REALLY

THINK SOMEBODY WOULD BOMB

THE CINEMA BECAUSE LITTLE KIDS

ARE DANCING IN IT?"

THAT'S WHA BLASPHEMY IMPLIES.

IT DOESN'T IMPLY PRISON.

IT DOESN'T IMPLY BEING

EXPELLED FROM THE COUNTRY.

IT IMPLIES:

THE LEGITIMIZED ACTION

OF VIOLENCE.

DO YOU REMEMBER:

THE DANISH CARTOONS?

THAT WASN'T A JOKE.

I MEAN EMBASSIES

WERE PUT ON FIRE.

PEOPLE AMASS IN:

THE STREETS.

IT WAS OUR LAST CONVERSATION.

ACTUALLY WE NEVER SPOKE AGAIN.

[COMPUTER BLEEPING OFF]

SO I GOT A LAWYER.

HE READ THE EMAIL

FROM JACK PERSEKIAN

AND FROM THEIR LAWYER

AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW,

THIS IS REALLY OUTRAGEOUS."

THEY'VE THREATENED A U.S.

JOURNALIST AND DOCUMENTARY

FILMMAKER AND NOW IN ONE

OF THE FIRST NEW CASES

BROUGHT UNDER NEW YORK'S LIBEL

TERRORISM LAW, THEY'RE GOING

TO HAVE EXPLAIN THEMSELVES.

UH-HUH.

THEY'RE IN A LOT MORE

TROUBLE THAN THEY KNOW,

WHICH IS WHY I'VE

THREATENED THEM BACK.

NICELY.

SO, ANYWAY IT BECAME

THIS LEGAL BATTLE.

AND THE BIENNIAL WAS

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