Saudi Arabia has opened its first international film festival amid accusations that the government is using culture to whitewash its poor human rights record, just days after similar controversy shadowed its first time hosting a Formula One race.
“The international film community should not allow itself to be bought and used by Saudi Arabia to whitewash horrific atrocities,” he said in a public statement.
“A film festival without freedom of expression quickly descends into propaganda,” said Madawi Al-Rasheed, a professor at LSE and prominent critic of the Saudi government.
When the festival was announced earlier this year, Oscar-nominated film director Sami Khan was among voices calling for artists to stay away, in protest against Saudi Arabia’s disturbing record on human rights.