ALAN BALL - BALL TO FILM MEETING WITH ISLAMIC LEADERS

BALL TO FILM MEETING WITH ISLAMIC LEADERS

TOWELHEAD director ALAN BALL has agreed to videotape a discussion with members of the Council of American Islamic Relations, who have opposed the title of his new film, and release it as a DVD extra.
Council officials urged Ball and executives at Warner Bros. to rename the film because they felt 'Towelhead' was derogatory and "offensive and exploitative".
But the moviemaker has stood firm, insisting the title - which echoes the crass nickname his heroine is given - will remain, even though he accepts it's "offensive hate language".
Ball hopes to explain his decision to Islamic leaders at an upcoming roundtable meeting, which he has agreed to film for the movie's DVD release.
He says, "We have gone out of our way to allow the Council of American Islamic Relations to post their response on our website and my roundtable discussion with them will be videotaped... I think, ultimately, what's really important is the dialogue."