Nakoula Basseley Nakoula has had plenty of time on his hands to think about the violent unrest that his crude 14-minute YouTube video, Innocence of Muslims , caused, and he has no regrets. Nakoula, who’s stewing in a Los Angeles jail because he violated the conditions of his probation stemming from a fraud conviction unrelated to the movie, told the New York Times in an interview “that he would go to great lengthys to convey what he called ‘the actual truth’ about Muhammad.’ In Nakoula’s first public comments since landing back in the clink, he explained that before he wrote the script to what became Innocence of Muslims — an early draft was called The First Terrorist — he thought, “I should burn myself in a public square to let the American people and the people of the world know this message that I believe in.” He also cited the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Tex. in which U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 29 others on the military base. Nakoula’s interview is part of a larger investigative piece about the making of Innocence of Muslims that the paper calls “a bizarre tale of fake personas and wholesale deception,” adding: “as with almost everything touched over the years by Mr. Nakoula — a former gas station manager, bong salesman, methamphetamine ingredient supplier and convicted con man — it is almost impossible to separate fact from fabrication.” The Times story indicates, by the way, that there’s more to Innocence of Muslims than just a 14-minute YouTube clip. The finished film is apparently one hour and 30 minutes long. [The New York Times] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Mark Basseley Youssef , the California man behind Innocence of Muslims , is going to prison, although not for the Islam-goading movie he made. The Associated Press (via the New York Daily News ) is reporting that U.S. District Court Judge, Christina Snyder, sentenced Youssef — who’s also been identified in media reports as Nakoula Basseley — to one year in the big house after he admitted to four of eight alleged probation violations stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction, including obtaining a fraudulent California drivers license. None of the violations had to do with the content of “Innocence of Muslims,” a film that depicts Mohammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and a womanizer. The movie sparked violence in Libya and other parts of the Middle East, killing dozens. Although a film as amateurishly made as Innocence of Muslims should be a crime, Youssef’s inflammatory film is protected under the First Amendment. As George Clooney told Movieline , the film excerpt that appeared on YouTube “made me mad and I’m not Muslim,” adding: “The simple truth is that in order to make [democracy] work, the idiots get to have their say, too. Read more of Movieline’s coverage on Innocence of Muslims : After Innocence Of Muslims, 2 Possible Muhammad Pics On The Way Innocence of Muslims Filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Unmasked By New York Tabloids Was Inflammatory Innocence Of Muslims Film Directed By Karate Cop, Happy Hooker Schlock Veteran? Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Wednesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Brazil makes a move to ban Anti-Islamic film in its borders. After Rupert Wyatt exits Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , Fox comes up with possible short-list. And an aging gay drama set for New York Film Festival premiere becomes the Philippines’ entry for Oscar. Disney’s Lone Ranger Shoot Nears Completion The film starring Johnny Depp and directed by Gore Verbinski ( Pirates of the Caribbean ) began shooting at the end of February and should wrap up at the end of September, for a total of between 140 – 150 days. The budget is said to be $250 million for the action movie, THR reports . More Innocence of Muslims Fallout: Brazil Orders YouTube To Remove Pic A Brazilian court ordered YouTube to pull the video. Brazil’s National Islamic Union said posting the video was a violation of the constitutional right to freedom of religion. In issuing the order, however, the judge said that banning something shouldn’t “offend” freedom of thought and expression. In related news, Iran made official that it will boycott this year’s Oscars, Deadline reports . Possible Short List for Fox’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Director The studio may have a short list of directors to replace Rupert Wyatt who left the project. Among the names in the list are Cloverfield ‘s Matt Reeves, The Disappearance of Alice Creed director J. Blakeson, 28 Days Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillio, Pacific Rim ‘s Guillermo del Toro and Looper ‘s Rian Johnson, Deadline reports . Barry Sonnenfeld Eyes Warner Bros. Lore Dwayne Johnson is set to star in the sic-fi action pic, while Sonnenfeld is in talks to direct the feature. It is based on a IDW book/graphic novel by Ashely Wood and T.P. Louise and has been described as Men in Black with mythological creatures.” Sonnenfeld recently made Men in Black 3 , THR reports . Drama on Aging Gay is Philippines’ Oscar Entry Writer/director Jun Robles Lana’s Bwakaw (Voracious) is an indie drama that explores “loneliness and missed opportunities” of an ailing 70 year-old gay man. Bwakaw will screen at the upcoming New York Film Festival, opening Friday, A.P. reports .
The New York Times reported Friday morning that Google had made the controversial decision to block access to the inflammatory anti-Islam video, Innocence of Muslims , in Egypt and Libya, where the crude production had sparked anti-U.S. riots and violence that resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens . According to the Times , Google, which owns YouTube where the clip is posted, did not remove the video from its site because its policy is to remove content only if it is deemed “hate speech,” or “if it is responding to valid court orders or government requests.” Based on company guidelines, the Internet behemoth determined that Innocence of Muslims “was not hate speech,” the paper reported, but Google still made the exceptional decision to block access to the video in Egypt and Libya in response to the violence and killings. In the wake of this extraordinary decision by an American company to censor content, Movieline wants to hear from you. Take the poll after the jump and tell us if Google’s actions were warranted, or if, in your opinion, even more decisive action is required. Google’s immense power as one of the pillars of the Internet means that it can have huge influence over the boundaries of free speech on the web. As Peter Spiro, a constitutional and international law professor at Temple University, told the Times : “Google is the world’s gatekeeper for information so if Google wants to define the First Amendment to exclude this sort of material then there’s not a lot the rest of the world can do about it.” [ New York Times ] You can make your opinion heard. If your point of view doesn’t fit neatly into one of the three choices below, please leave it in the comments box. Take Our Poll Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Steve Klein says there’s no blood on his hands. In the aftermath of violence in Libya over the virulently anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims initial media reports pointed to a Coptic Christian filmmaker named Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for Egyptian immigrant Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. But according to an A.P. report , Klein, a California insurance agent and Vietnam War veteran, has become the unrepentant public face of the crude video that has resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats, including America’s Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens. Nakoula contacted Klein several months ago asking for his input and advice before creating the video. He also asked the 61 year-old if he would act as a spokesperson if the project somehow succeeded. Now, as rage over the video — and anti-American violence — spreads through the Arab world, Nakoula has gone into hiding, leaving Klein to perform his duties as the brazen American face of the controversy. According to the A.P. investigation, is an outspoken critic of radical Islam and he’s piqued the attention of civil liberties groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center. Klein said he has pursued radical Muslims living in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks eleven years ago. His son suffered an attack by a suicide bomber in 2007 while serving in Iraq, which encouraged his activities. [ Related: POLL: Should Google Have Blocked Access To Innocence of Muslims In Egypt And Libya? ] While sipping a beer on the front porch of his Hemet, CA home, told the A.P. that he has visited “every mosque in California” and found “500 to 750 of these people who are future suicide bombers and murderers. “What do I get out of this? I get to die one of these days hoping my granddaughters and my grandsons will be safe from these monsters,” Klein also told the A.P. “Those are the guys I’m looking for. I’m not interested in mom and pop running a pizza store or running a smoky shop, a hookah shop.” Klein, who works as an insurance agent on the second floor of a downtown business complex in Hemet about 90 miles southwest of L.A. founded Courageous Christians United, which holds protests outside abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques. He also started Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, which proselytizes against Muslims and produces anti-Muslim propaganda that Klein distributes. His activities led him to his contact with Nakoula about making Innocence of Muslims . Apparently, the title was meant as a trick to lure Muslim radicals to view the pic with the intention that after seeing it, they would convert. “I’m kind of an unsophisticated James Bond operative. I want to piss this guy off, I want to find out why does he want to kill me?” Klein explained to the A.P. “Why does he want to capture my daughter and granddaughter and rape them? Why does this guy want to act this way?” The YouTube video is blamed for inciting riots in Egypt and Libya where the U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed along with three other American embassy personnel. Angry demonstrations have spread throughout the Muslim world Friday. “Do I have blood on my hands? No. Did I kill this guy? No,” said Klein. “Do I feel guilty that these people were incited? Guess what? I didn’t incite them. They’re pre-incited, they’re pre-programmed to do this.” [Source: A.P. ]
A trailer for a little-known anti-Muslim film that went viral on YouTube sparked outrage and violent attacks overnight at the U.S. Embassy in Libya that left over a dozen wounded and four Americans dead, including U.S. ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens. In a press conference today President Obama condemned the acts and promised justice to those responsible, said to be Muslim protesters angry over insults against the Prophet Muhammad made in a film called Innocence of Muslims . Innocence of Muslims , purportedly made for $5 million in California by an Israeli-American real estate developer named Sam Bacile, satirizes the life of Muhammad, according to Reuters , “as a fool, a philanderer and a religious fake.” The film, which features amateurish performances and cheap-looking sets, depicts the Prophet as a fraud and also includes scenes in which he engages in sexual acts. A 14-minute trailer for the (fairly terrible-looking) film, filled with green-screen CG and painfully wooden performances, hit YouTube in July and was subsequently picked up by news media in Egypt and the Arabic-speaking world. Associations with Koran-burning Florida pastor Terry Jones didn’t help; he endorses the film and screened the trailer Tuesday. Following the attacks in Libya and at the U.S. Consulate in Cairo, Egypt, Bacile went into hiding. Speaking by phone with the Associated Press , he was remorseful about the fatal attacks but stood behind his film as a political statement, saying “Islam is a cancer, period.” In a bizarre twist, The Atlantic spoke with a “militant Christian activist” who consulted on the film who claims that “Sam Bacile” is a pseudonym, calling into question Bacile’s actual identity and background. Meanwhile, President Obama is increasing diplomatic security details at U.S. embassies around the world. Read more via NYT’s The Lede . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
