MiddleEast.org - Mid-East Realities

The preview posters for Paradise Now declare, 'From the most unexpected place, a bold new call for peace'. The trailer suggested the same thing: a Palestinian suicide bomber deciding not to go through with his mission.

But by the time the film was nominated for this year's Best Foreign Feature at the Oscars, certain audiences started to feel it was not as balanced as it had appeared in the trailer: the bomber's decision in the film to choose peace is actually short-lived. He goes through with the attack and, as the film's hero, his act is unarguably portrayed as heroic. It is set to give the 78th Academy Awards one of their most controversial years since the Seventies.

At the Laemmle Fairfax cinema in Los Angeles, Sarah Rosen, a self-described left-leaning Jew, exited Friday's 5pm screening shaking her head. 'I appreciated the unique touches, like a suicide bomber being put off his final video by the sight of a cameraman eating a sandwich. But it bothers me that Israel being the evil aggressor is taken as given.'

It is the subject of how to resist Israel - jihadists Said and Khaled say violence is the only way, while Suha, the daughter of a martyr, argues for peaceful protest - that allows for the grey area. In the end violence wins for numerous reasons - most explained by the bomber's back story. But the Hollywood looks of Said, played by Kasi Nashef, who is matin馥 idol handsome, are also causing discomfort. There is, for many, an uncomfortable implication that his less attractive friend, Khaled, played by Ali Suliman, hasn't the courage to bomb buses because he isn't a leading man. The charismatic directing and acting combine to create a kind of sexy jihad that has US Jewish groups calling for its disqualification.

The tensions are rising with a week to go before the big night, which is on track to be one of the most successful and most watched ceremonies ever. The campaign against Paradise Now is gathering pace. An internet campaign against the film has quickly gathered steam. It started with an open letter from Yossi Zur, whose 16-year-old son had been killed by a suicide bomber, asking that the Academy disqualify Paradise Now

'They have been given a seal of approval to hide behind,' he said. 'Now they can see that the world sees suicide bombing as legitimate.' The petition he inspired has received more than 25,000 signatures. The nomination probably won't be rescinded, but with 70 being the median academy voter age, and Judaism the predominant religion, it is something of a surprise, even to insiders, that the film has been nominated at all, let alone that it is a strong prospect to win.

Although the director, Hany Abu-Assad, and the female lead, Lubna Azabal, both live in Europe, the film is credited to 'Palestine', a country that does not technically exist. No foreign film entry has, in academy history, been attributed to such a place. It was filmed in Nablus, a West Bank town controlled by the Palestinian Authority. 'There is a likelihood,' said the show's producer, Gil Cates, 'that come Oscar night it will be attributed to "Palestinian territories".'

'The film is intended to open a discussion, hopefully a meaningful discussion,' says Abu-Assad. 'I hope that the film will succeed in stimulating thought.' Certainly the message boards on popular movie websites are buzzing.

Surprisingly, after Paradise Now won a Golden Globe in January, Abu-Assad took to the stage to generous applause, with no reticence or even booing. That can perhaps be attributed to the fact that the Golden Globes comprises non-US press. Come Oscar night, Abu-Assad may find a Hollywood audience less enthusiastic.

Or perhaps Hollywood's perceived allegiance to Israel has changed. There are five nominations for Munich, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner's deeply critical take on the hunt by Israelis for the Munich Olympic killers.

Either way, the Academy must feel lucky to have as host this year the sharp-witted Jon Stewart, Comedy Central's 'fake news' anchor beloved for calling it as he sees it across the political board. He and his writers, along with Abu-Assad, could watch, as research, the tape of the 1978 Oscars when Vanessa Redgrave, a supporter of the PLO, was awarded Best Actress for Julia. She thanked Jane Fonda and condemned 'Zionist thugs'.

Giving a writing award, dramatist Paddy Chayefsky walked out on stage and said: 'There's a little matter I'd like to tidy up, at least if I expect to live with myself tomorrow morning. I'd like to suggest that winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation and that a simple "thank you" would have sufficed.'

February 2006