The film behind the fury

 
Culled from The Nation
YEMEN : Yemeni protesters shouting slogans during a protest against a film deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed in Sanaa ...yesterday

Clips of the film, which are said to show the Muslim Prophet Mohammad engaging in crude and offensive behaviour, were posted online weeks ago under several titles, including “Innocence of Muslims”.
The self-proclaimed director of the film, Sam Bacile, said on Wednesday he was in hiding following the attack on America’s Libyan embassy, which killed the US Ambassador to Libya.
Bacile described himself to journalists over the phone as a US-based property developer of Jewish and Israeli origin. Bacile told various media operations that the film cost $5 million, some of which was put forward by around 100 Jewish donors.
Yet by the day’s end, his story had unravelled, with actors and producers involved in the film dispelling a number of myths.
American actors and actresses who appeared in “Innocence of Muslims” issued a joint statement saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post-production.
In the English-language version of the trailer, direct references to Muhammad appear to be the result of post-production changes to the movie. Either actors aren’t seen when the name “Muhammad” is spoken in the overdubbed sound, or they appear to be mouthing something else as the name of the prophet is spoken.
One of the actresses, Cindy Lee Garcia, told Gawker.com that the film was originally entitled “Desert Warriors” and said the script did not contain offensive references to Islam. She said the director, who identified himself as Bacile, told her then that he was Egyptian.