Local authorities in southern Tunisia have refused permission to film a foreign film that includes "scenes of chaos and war" because it included passages embodying the replacement of the flag of the Islamic state by the national flag.
Tunisian film company Cine Film has applied for a license to film scenes of a foreign film in the Qasr Ghailan desert area of Kabylie province, but the governor of Wali refused to authorize it.
"The film includes scenes of chaos and war," said governor Sami al-Ghabi in a press statement. "It also includes a scene for the landing of the national flag and the raising of a Libyan flag or a da'is (state organization) according to our reliable sources."
"We have established our position that rejects the following reason, that the National League can not be removed in any way."
The Tunisian Sahara has traditionally attracted international production companies, which have filmed several films in the past, including one of the famous Star Wars series, but the sensitivity of the state organization seems to have led to a rejection of the new film.
The organizers of the state have already raised the black flag of the organization over one of the health institutions in one of the villages of the region in 2015, which later caused a negative consequences on the tourism sector in the region, according to the governor.
The governor believes that the content of the film is contrary to the promotion of tourism by local authorities, including the definition of the Ghilan Palace area as a tourist destination desert and safe area, especially with the start of the desert tourism season since the beginning of this month in the region.
Since the escalation of counterterrorism operations since 2011, Tunisia has been subjected to several bloody attacks by gunmen loyal to AQIM and the organization of the state, including three major attacks in 2015 that killed 59 tourists and had disastrous consequences for the tourism sector.
In March 2016, the army and security forces succeeded in defeating a surprise attack by state-organized militants in order to seize the town of Ben Qardan near the Libyan border to the south with the liquidation of 36 gunmen in exchange for the fall of 12 military and security and seven civilians.