Veteran actors, Pete Edochie, Antar Laniyan, and Zark Orji, among others, have condemned the Brazilian film, The First Temptation of Christ, which depicts Jesus Christ as gay.
The movie has generated a lot of controversies. The parody movie depicts Jesus as a homosexual and it has been widely criticised and rejected by many across the world, especially Christians.
During the week, Brazil’s Supreme Court ‘temporarily stopped’ the movie from being streamed on the streaming platform, Netflix. While many applauded the court’s decision, some argued that it was a form of censorship of the arts and that filmmakers, like other entertainers, have creative licence. Though the court’s order was later overturned, some top actors in Nollywood aired their views on the divisive film in an article published by Sunday PUNCH.
Antar Laniyan was of the opinion that Brazil’s Supreme Court did the right thing for banning the streaming of the movie.
He said, “When dealing with anything that has to do with creativity like this, the first thing I consider is whether it is passing a negative or positive message to the public. And also check if it is not against any religion. If the message is positive, I don’t see anything wrong with it. If this particular movie is portraying a particular religion in a very bad manner, then I think the Supreme Court has the right to take such a decision. What we want is an idea that would correct societal issues. If one’s creative offering is not aimed at correcting the ills in society, then one has failed; one doesn’t have to bring it out. It should have a message that won’t mislead people.”
Pete Edochie noted that the film was against his religion. He said, “I am a Christian, the film doesn’t agree with my values.”
On her part, actress, Ayo Adesanya, said filmmaking was not an opportunity to demean religion.
She added, “Religion is a very sensitive subject. Nobody should, in the name of making a movie, demean a religion. Things like this should be treated with caution. It is because (in Christianity) God said nobody should fight for Him, if not, matters would have escalated beyond this. I am very sensitive when it comes to religion. I don’t see a reason why I should worship a God and someone would just portray him in any funny manner.”
Popular actor, Zack Orji, did not mince words in his reaction as he labelled the production ‘creative rascality.’
He stated, “Creative licence comes with a lot of responsibilities. The creative licence doesn’t mean one should be a creative rascal. I don’t know the religions of the persons who produced and wrote the film and what the motive behind making it was. That would have given me a better understanding of the essence of the work. Speaking from the point of view of a Christian, I find it totally distasteful, condemnable and obnoxious.”
Meanwhile, Laniyan maintained that if a film like that were to be made in Nigeria, he would never be part of it. He stated, “The first thing I think about when picking a script is what message I would be passing through it. If there is no message, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want people to say anything I do is rubbish because I have never been involved in ‘rubbish’.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Supreme Court decided Thursday that Netflix could continue streaming the controversial Brazilian comedy.
The Supreme Court overturned a lower court judge’s ruling from Tuesday that ordered Netflix to remove a controversial Brazilian comedy special despite international outcry and a petition signed by over 2 million people demanding its removal.
Titled “The First Temptation of Christ” (most likely a play on words reminiscent of the controversial 1988 film “The Last Temptation of Christ”), the satirical “special” that first aired December 3 ahead of Christmas was created by a Brazilian comedy group known as Porta Does Fundos.
According to a report by BBC’s Daniel Gallas from São Paulo this week, Judge Benedicto Abicair in Rio de Janeiro ordered Netflix to remove the film from its platform.
On Thursday, however, the higher court’s ruling struck down the lower court’s ban with the President of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Justice José Antonio Dias Toffoli, stating that freedom of expression is a fundamental right of democracy.
“A piece of satire is not going to undermine the values of Christian faith, which has been around for more than 2,000 years,” the court’s president wrote.
Netflix nor Porta dos Fundos have commented on the ruling.
“Jesus, who’s hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family. A Christmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos,” reads the movie’s description on Netflix.
The satirical film, which depicts Christ as a homosexual, did not go over well with many Christians and church leaders in Brazil and a petition was drafted calling on Netflix to remove the special. As of Saturday, it has garnered over 2,366,700 signatures.
The Rio de Janeiro office of Porta dos Fundos, the creators behind the film, was attacked with firebombs on Christmas Eve. No one was injured.
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