Cairo: An Egyptian Court on Tuesday revoked a government ban on a controversial film starring Lebanese pop singer Haifa Wehbe, judicial sources said.
In April, Egyptian Prime Minister Ebrahim Mahlab halted the showing of Halawet Ruh (The Sweetness of Ruh) for alleged immorality and child abuse.
The Administrative Justice Court on Tuesday accepted the appeal filed by Mohammad Al Subki, the producer of the film, against the ban.
In his appeal, Al Subki accused the prime minister of overstepping his authority when Mahlab halted the showing of the film although the country’s censorship board has allowed it to hit the local cinemas, the sources added.
Following the ruling, Al Subki said that the film would be re-released for public screening in the mid-year school vacation due to start in late January.
There was no immediate comment from the government.
Halawet Ruh tells the story of a woman whose beauty makes her the obsession of male neighbours including a teenage boy.
The state-run National Council for Childhood and Motherhood has accused the film of posing a danger to children.
While the ban drew wide praise in local media and conservative members of the public, several filmmakers condemned it as a violation of freedom of expression.
The ban marked the first on a locally made film in Egypt since the 1990s.
Wehbe is seen as a sex symbol in the Arab world where her performances have often sparked controversy.
Halawet Ruh marks Wehbe’s cinema comeback after a five-year hiatus. Several film critics have described it as a version of Malena, a 2000 Italian film starring Monica Bellucci.
