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June 2010 - News
June 2010

Local News

Film banned for nudity concerns

The Ministry of Culture banned the film Café Muller from being screened during the second Damascus Contemporary Dance Forum last month.

The ministry said it banned the film, which details the life of renowned German choreographer Pina Bausch, because of concerns over nudity. Local press reported that the deputy minister of culture also threatened to imprison festival organisers if they defied the ban and screened the film.

A statement released by the information office of the Damascus Contemporary Dance Forum apologised for not screening the film, adding that its withdrawal from the festival's programme was for reasons "beyond our control".

Six escape from Suweida prison

Six prisoners escaped from the Suweida prison on May 1, the privately-owned news website Syria News reported last month.

The prisoners, described as "very dangerous" by a police source, escaped from the prison after removing the iron bars from a window. The source attributed the escape to an "imbalance" in the number of guards, adding that an official inquiry has been set up to investigate the matter.

At the time of publication the prisoners were still at large.

Syrian translator wins German award

A Syrian translator has been awarded the first Goethe Award for Translation, the Jordanian daily newspaper Al-Dustour reported on May 5.

Traslator and art critic Nabil Haffar was presented with the 'Experienced Translator Award' for his contribution to the translation of Heimsuchung by Jenny Erpenbeck. The awards ceremony was organised by the Goethe Institute in Egypt last month.

Haffar recieved his PhD in theatre studies from the Humboldt University of Berlin in 1998 and currently serves as vice chairman of the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts in Damascus.