Oliver Stone expresses support for Saudi Arabia at Red Sea Film Festival
Over the years, Oliver Stone has developed a reputation of being a political filmmaker known for his willingness to explore wide-ranging subjects – from Richard Nixon to Edward Snowden. Recently, Stone spoke at the opening ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, where he expressed his support for the current regime in the country.
Saudi Arabia has been routinely criticised by activists, world leaders and journalists for the numerous human rights violations that take place each year. Including torture, executions, discrimination against women and the LGBTQ+ community, exploitation of migrant workers and other issues, the country’s human rights record has been the cause of global concern.
While the Saudi government has been called out for its inaction against these violations, it has only made matters worse by shutting out independent human rights organisations. Just earlier this year, two Saudi women – Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtan and Salma al-Shehab – were imprisoned for merely expressing their criticisms of the country on social media.
Despite the overwhelming evidence against the current regime’s tyranny and oppression, Stone defended the Saudi government during his opening speech at the festival. According to the filmmaker, Saudi Arabia is misrepresented by Western Media, and it is “misunderstood in the present world” (via Deadline).
Stone invited others to visit the country instead of relying on the evidence gathered by journalists who placed their lives on the line. The director added: “You see the changes that are coming here, the reforms. I think people who judge too harshly should come and visit this place and see for themselves.”
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