The Misfits, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Pierce Brosnan, caused controversy due to its portrayal of Qatar as a terrorist-supporting nation called Jazeeristan. The negative depiction struck a nerve with Qataris who have fought against the terrorist stigma for years. The film's storyline also referred to a prominent Qatari scholar as the "sponsor of global terrorism," which further fueled the backlash. As a result, The Misfits was banned from being screened in Qatari cinemas, severely damaging its reputation. The movie's controversial funding and release added fuel to the fire. Co-produced by UAE-based FilmGate Productions, the heavy involvement of the UAE led to demanded rewrites that portrayed the country as infallible heroes. The timing of the film's release, shortly after Qatar had mended relationships with neighboring nations, was seen as a deliberate attempt to undermine those ties and paint Qatar as an untrustworthy terrorist state.

2021's The Misfits was Finnish...