Egyptian Film Industry To Release Own Version Of 'Cleopatra': Report

The Netflix adaptation has been turning heads due to it's take on the complexion of Cleopatra. 

In the midst of continuous controversy created by the Netflix film African Queen, which features Queen Elizabeth as a black woman, and was launched on Wednesday, Egypt has responded swiftly. They are most likely launching counterprogramming initiatives to present its own account of the ruler's life using "the highest levels of research and scrutiny."

Proposed Documentary by Egyptian Government backed media

United Media Services, a state-owned broadcaster, will receive a documentary produced by Egypt's Al Wathaeqya, a channel funded by the Egyptian government. The declaration was made a few days after numerous people in the nation objected to the Netflix movie because of the Queen's skin tone. 

"Starting as usual in all documentary production sector and documentary channel work, there are working sessions currently being held with a number of specialists in history, archaeology, and anthropology; to subject research related to the subject of the film and its image to the highest levels of research and scrutiny,” the channel said, according to a translation of its Facebook post.

Documentary Planned by Independent Artists 

A version of the Queen's life is being sought after not only by the state but also by freelance filmmakers. Curtis Ryan Woodside, a director and Egyptologist, also uploaded a 90-minute English-language video about Cleopatra VII on his YouTube account on Wednesday, criticising the "biassed" viewpoints and "misinformed," contemporary, and American interpretations of the queen that the Netflix movie allegedly narrates.

Background of Cleopatra

Alexandria, a port town in Egypt, was the birthplace of Queen Cleopatra in the year 69 BC. In 51 BC, she took over the throne from her father, and she remained in power until she passed away in 30 BC, as the Roman Empire grew.

According to experts in Egypt, she was of Macedonian and Greek ancestry on the side of her father, Ptolemy XII. However, neither her mother's ethnicity nor her maternal lineage are known. It's likely that she or any other female progenitor was an indigenous Egyptian or from another part of Africa, according to scholars.