Director fined for selling investor’s film without permission

TDT | Manama

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A director who sold a film without his investor’s sayso and took the earnings for himself has been ordered to pay BD8,000. The ruling, handed down by the High Civil Court, found that he had broken his contract by screening the film without permission and selling it to an airline, cutting the investor out of any returns.

The court held the director fully responsible and ordered him to cover legal costs as well.

Case

The case was built around a deal that, on paper, was clearcut.

Lawyer Ibtisam Al Sabbagh, speaking for the investor, said her client had signed an agreement with the second defendant, setting out the terms for producing the film.

The investor handed over BD32,000 in three cheques, and the first defendant — the director — signed off on receiving the funds the same day.

Arrangement

The arrangement was later formalised.

The contract required the director, working through his agent, to make, direct and sell the film within three months of being paid.

The plan was to offload the film before the final cut, ensuring a return of at least 120 per cent on the investment.

Sum

If that didn’t happen, the director was to return every dinar and pay out an added 120 per cent, a sum that would have totalled BD38,400.

Full rights to the film, free of any conditions, were also meant to go to the investor. But things didn’t go as written. After the film was completed, the director and his agent stalled on selling it, dragging the process out for more than a year and a half.