Egypt’s Council of Antiquities Wades Into Netflix Cleopatra Row; Org’s Head Denies Backlash Driven By Racism

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has set a July 3rd global premiere for Unknown, a new four-part docuseries on which it’s partnered with Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan’s esteemed production company Story Syndicate that will have new films debuting weekly.

Racism“Queen Cleopatra” focuses on many of the things people know about her. Her rise to power in Egypt, her deft political and social maneuvering, and the dangerous alliances and relationships she struck in her efforts to gain and keep power, and keep Egypt independent from Rome.

Netflix, and already received an extremely low audience rating of one per cent.The new series in question is titled Queen Cleopatra, and is the second instalment of the African Queens franchise.Produced by Jada Pinkett-Smith, the new series launched on Netflix on Wednesday last week (May 10). Now, just five days since it premiered on the streaming platform, viewers have been quick to blast the show online, and given it an audience score of one per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.Queen Cleopatra follows on from the first part of the franchise — African Queens: Njinga — which also received a mostly-negative reception from viewers: 22 per cent, to be exact.While both Njinga and Queen Cleopatra have been on the receiving end of mostly poor reviews from viewers, the latter has got a noticeable negative reaction from critics too.

Controversy over Netflix‘s Queen Cleopatra seems to have affected its’ audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A new investigation into the suspicious death of a Scots mum on a Greek island 14 years ago has ruled it was foul play.

Netflix's 'Queen Cleopatra' docudrama said it was a 'political act' to cast her - and laughed off controversy engulfing the show. Adele James, 27, takes on the role of the famous queen from the land of the Pharaohs. The show, which was released on May 10, features claims that Cleopatra VII was black with 'curly hair' and a historian saying 'I remember my grandmother saying to me: I don't care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.

If audiences are lucky, they’ll see not one but two Yorgos Lanthimos films on the big screen this year. And given the Greek director’s penchant for perplexing cinema, don’t be surprised if “Poor Things” makes a lot of Top 10 lists from critics at the end of the year (or tops those lists).

The EP behind Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra docu-drama has defended the casting of an actor of mixed heritage descent in the title role, stating that Adele James reflects the “multicultural nature of ancient Egypt.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent A government-owned Egyptian broadcaster has responded to controversy over the casting of a Black actress to play Cleopatra in the Netflix docudrama series “African Queens,” which streams from May 10, by announcing production of its own big-budget Cleopatra doc. The fact that Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays the first-century Egyptian ruler as a queen with African roots in the Netflix original produced by Jada Pinkett Smith has been sparking an uproar in Egypt. Ever since the trailer dropped last month local academics and others are claiming that Cleopatra, who was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.

Adele James is breaking her silence about the controversy over her upcoming Netflix series, Queen Cleopatra.

The Italian premieres of Cannes Film Festival opener Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp and Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny will be among the international highlights of the 69th Taormina Film Festival which gave a taster of its line-up at press conference in Rome on Tuesday.

William Earl “Rain in My Head” was the big winner at the 10th annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, taking honors for best film, director Chrissy Marshall and actor Layne Apffel. Also saluted were Nathan Cox, editor for “Smash or Pass”; Rachel Handler, writer, “Unlucky in Love”; and Judith Rubin and “Leap of Love” for best awareness campaign. The winners were announced May 4 at an orange-carpet ceremony and reception at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.  For the competition, registered filmmakers were given five days within a designated timeframe to write and produce short films (three-to-five minutes) promoting disability inclusion. Every year’s contest has a theme, and this year it was romance, which resulted in a wide range of viewpoints on the topic.

“The Daily Show” guest host Dulcé Sloan isn’t buying it.To kick off her week guest-hosting the show, Sloan mocked Egyptian officials for their outrage, after they claimed the ancient queen was actually “fair-skinned” and Greek.“Oh, OK. Egypt is concerned about ‘historical accuracy.’ I didn’t hear you complain when all them ‘Mummy’ movies came out,” Sloan mocked. “What are you talking about? We got mummies coming back from the dead, chasing Brendan Fraser, and y’all don’t have a problem,” she continued.

The controversy over Netflix‘s Queen Cleopatra limited series is getting more dramatic.

Netflix‘s Queen Cleopatra.In the documentary, which is narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, Cleopatra is portrayed by biracial actress Adele James (Casualty).Her casting has sparked a debate in Egypt, with various figures accusing the docudrama of “blackwashing” the country’s history. One lawyer even filed a lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the project had contradicted and distorted Egyptian history in favour of promoting Afrocentrism.On Thursday (April 27), the antiquities ministry in Egypt weighed in on the debate, saying that Cleopatra had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics”.“Bas-reliefs and statues of Queen Cleopatra are the best proof,” the ministry’s statement read (via The Independent).Queen Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, was born in 69 BC and died in 30 BC in Alexandria.

There’s lots of anticipation in Yorgos Lanthimos Land because the director has not one, but two films on the way: hopefully both of them this year. No word on if that will happen, but now audiences know “Poor Things” will at least reach theaters this year.  Searchlight Pictures has some first-look images from Lanthimos’ next feature, and they foretell a film as perplexing as spooky as anything the Greek director has made before.

, Nicole finally came to the decision that she no longer wants to live in Egypt after struggling this entire season to adhere to the more conservative culture and she told the news to her husband.Nicole already tried living in Egypt once when she married Mahmoud but left when they decided to separate. They later got back together and this season documents her second time trying to live with him in his home country.

Tina Gharavi is speaking out about portraying Cleopatra as black in the upcoming Netflix mini-series, Queen Cleopatra.

Any parent will know that going away during the school holidays can drastically increase the cost of any holiday.

Netflix‘s upcoming docudrama Queen Cleopatra has addressed the backlash over casting a Black actress in the lead role.Casualty star Adele James was announced as the lead of the series in April, but criticism soon followed in Egypt, with many accusing the docudrama of “blackwashing” the country’s history. One lawyer even filed lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the series had contradicted and distorted Egyptian history in favour of promoting Afrocentrism.However, in a new piece for Variety, director Tina Gharayi hit back at critics, arguing “it’s more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor,” who famously portrayed the historical figure in 1963’s Cleopatra.“For me, the idea that people had gotten it so incredibly wrong before — historically, from Theda Bara to Monica Bellucci, and recently, with Angelina Jolie and Gal Gadot in the running to play her — meant we had to get it even more right,” wrote Gharayi.“Why shouldn’t Cleopatra be a melanated sister? And why do some people need Cleopatra to be white? Her proximity to whiteness seems to give her value, and for some Egyptians it seems to really matter.”She continued: “After much hang-wringing and countless auditions, we found in Adele James an actor who could convey not only Cleopatra’s beauty but also her strength.