Kanye West is making a new film, reportedly set in the Persian Gulf. The project is a follow-up to Runaway, the 34-minute film that West released to much fanfare in 2010.
According to the New York Observer, the rapper has dispatched a team of representatives to negotiate with production companies in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar. Although they have revealed no details of the film's concept, they confirmed the story is set in the Middle East. West's team is scouting locations and negotiating a "heated bidding war", the New York Observer reports, between government entities and private investors.
"There are a lot of preconceived notions and stereotypes about Emiratis and Qataris, which westerners often play up," a source explained. West is proposing to "bridge the cultural divide" and "highlight the culture accurately". He may even cast some of the region's royalty: several local sheikhs "appreciate celebrity notoriety".
With its fireworks, marching bands, ballerinas, race cars and Victoria's Secret models, Runaway was an arty and dumbfounding promo for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West's 2010 solo album. Shot in Prague, the film premiered on MTV. It has since attracted almost 11m YouTube views. It is not clear if West's new video will be linked to a forthcoming studio album.
