"Huda’s Salon," a film by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, which screened March 7 at the Beirut International Women’s Film Festival on the occasion of International Women’s Day the following day, caused widespread controversy within the Palestinian community for containing indecent scenes and nudity, which some went as far as to describe as pornography.

The film raised the ire of members of the conservative Palestinian public, which denounce such bold scenes in Palestinian cinema.

"Huda’s Salon," which features a number of Palestinian artists, shows some of the malicious methods used by the Israeli intelligence to bring down Palestinian women. The film revolves around a woman called Huda who works in a beauty salon and who is involved with the Israeli security services. Huda photographs a client in compromising positions and then uses the pictures to blackmail her into espionage.

In a statement to local press March 11, the Palestinian Ministry of Culture denied any connection with the film, explaining that Palestinian cinema is committed to the Palestinian struggle. It denounced the way the film was produced and said it offended the history of Palestinian cinema.