Widespread protest of Greek filmmakers to cooperate with Israeli institutions

 

Massive protests by Greek filmmakers to the Kastellorizo ​​International Documentary Festival due to cooperation with Israeli institutions

Various groups of filmmakers and cultural activists, including Filmmakers for Palestine Greece, BDS Greece, and Filmworkers for Palestine, published an open letter criticizing the 9th edition of the “Beyond Borders” festival within the framework of the Castelorizo ​​International Documentary Festival due to its cooperation with Israeli institutions. criticized These groups have accused the festival of complicity in war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

In this open letter, which has been widely published, the filmmakers have asked the organizers of the festival to cancel the screening of films and workshops organized in cooperation with the Israeli Embassy and Tel Aviv University. They have described these collaborations as “complicity in war crimes and genocide” and have emphasized that the continuation of these collaborations will strengthen the apartheid regime and the crimes of Israel.

The full text of the open letter is as follows:

“The ninth edition of the “Beyond the Borders” program in the framework of the International Documentary Festival of Castelorizo, this year’s theme is dedicated to “wounds of exile, forced migration and the bitter feeling of being twice an alien”. However, as members of the filmmaking community, both inside and outside Greece’s borders, we feel compelled to express our deep concern over the festival’s complicity in the Palestinian genocide and the displacement of 1.9 million people since October 2023. In fact, two-thirds of the Palestinian people have been violently forced into either exile or internal displacement in Palestine due to Israel’s continuous waves of ethnic cleansing.

Currently, more than 65 Palestinian directors, most of whom have won multiple awards, have appealed to international filmmakers to “speak out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and its racism and censorship. They must do everything in their power to stop this unspeakable horror.” Complicity in it should be stopped.

More than 10 months have passed since Israel’s genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, not to mention 76 years of apartheid and settler colonialism. In this situation, the ninth edition of the “Beyond the Borders” festival; It hosts the Israeli embassy and Tel Aviv University, both of which are deeply complicit in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. Also, this university hosts an institute that developed the military doctrine of “Dahiya”.

According to reports, the Castelorizzo Documentary Festival, sponsored by the Israeli Embassy, ​​will screen the film “Ana and Dr. Masri,” directed by Tali Finkel, who has publicly made racist, anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic comments. Also, by hosting the workshop “Beyond Storytelling” in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, the 9th Castellorizo ​​International Documentary Festival participates in washing Israel’s sins through art and normalizing its war crimes; The crimes that were recognized by the International Criminal Court months ago. Once again, the complicity of European cultural institutions in the genocide of the Palestinian people is obvious.

This institutional complicity is particularly disappointing; Considering that just this week, hundreds of cinema people publicly opposed the Venice Film Festival and the screening of two Israeli films. In Greece, since March 2024, hundreds of film professionals have signed a call for a cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the complicity of the cultural sector, and also made public statements at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Additionally, thousands of international directors and actors have called for a ceasefire through the Filmworkers for Palestine and Artists for Ceasefire initiatives. Even hundreds of famous figures in Hollywood and stars (such as Susan Sarandon, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, India Moore, Jonathan Glazer and others) have defended the rights of Palestinians. Internationally, artists have refused to show their films at complicit Israeli film festivals, while this year the municipality of Athens canceled an Israeli Embassy event that included a concert by an Israeli conductor with the Athens Symphony Orchestra, and higher education institutions such as the University of Helsinki Antwerp University and Stavanger University have cut ties with Tel Aviv University.

At the same time, the Greek government continues to be complicit in the genocide and provides military, economic and political support to Israel. Meanwhile, other countries are taking steps to end their complicity, with Turkey banning trade, Colombia halting coal exports, and Bolivia cutting diplomatic ties. For example, €500,000 a day from our taxes is spent on a Greek frigate in the Red Sea. Also, two American ships, Overseas Santorini and Overseas Sun Coast, which carry military fuel for the Israeli regime, were allowed to dock in Greek ports, which is tantamount to complicity in serious violations of international law, including genocide and apartheid. All this while more than 40,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, and the total death toll may reach 186,000 due to forced starvation and infectious diseases, with many more injured and displaced, forever loved ones. They have lost themselves. In the midst of this crime, Castelorizzo’s International Documentary Festival Beyond Borders promotes criminal Israel by using its logo in its lineup.

Inspired by the movement to end apartheid in South Africa, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is part of the international struggle for human rights and social justice. Part of BDS is a cultural boycott that highlights the responsibility of artists and cultural institutions to end any complicity in serious human rights violations and not to turn a blind eye to genocidal war crimes.

For the above reasons, it is essential and very vital that the 9th Castelorizzo International Documentary Festival “Beyond Borders” refrains from showing Israeli films that are complicit in washing Israel’s genocide and its apartheid regime; Cancel performances and workshops funded or produced by accomplices in genocide and apartheid, and cancel performances or workshops organized in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy and Tel Aviv University, to show complicity in this crime of crimes, this genocide and this apartheid regime. It should not be.”

These protests take place at a time when artists and cultural activists are increasingly refusing to cooperate with Israeli institutions at the international level, and cultural sanctions against the regime are expanding as part of the BDS movement. Inspired by the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, this movement seeks to end any complicity in human rights abuses and war crimes through cultural and economic pressures. Many international artists have joined this movement and have refused to exhibit their works at festivals and events associated with Israeli institutions. They believe that with these actions, more pressure can be put on the Israeli regime to end its human rights violations and apartheid policies. In the meantime, cultural and academic institutions in some countries have also decided to cut ties with Israeli universities and institutions. These measures are carried out in solidarity with the Palestinian people and protest against Israel’s repressive and violent policies. By adopting this approach, these institutions are trying to send a strong message to the international community that supporting regimes that are involved in human rights violations and war crimes is unacceptable.

The Greek government, however, continues its military, economic and political cooperation with Israel. These collaborations have caused the concern of many human rights activists and filmmakers. They believe that this type of support not only means complicity in war crimes and genocide, but also legitimizes Israel’s apartheid policies. Therefore, the internal and international pressures on the Greek government to stop these cooperations are increasing. The filmmakers who signed this open letter have emphasized that the Castellori International Documentary Festival must respect the principles of human rights and justice by canceling its cooperation with Israeli institutions and also by preventing the screening of films that are aimed at washing away the crimes of this regime. They have demanded immediate and serious action from the festival authorities to end any cultural complicity with the apartheid regime of Israel.

These filmmakers and cultural activists have also asked other cultural institutions and organizations around the world to join the BDS movement in confronting complicity in war crimes and human rights violations, and refrain from any cooperation with institutions that are linked to these crimes. They believe that these measures will not only help stop war crimes and genocide, but also send a strong message to the international community that human rights violations and apartheid policies cannot be tolerated anywhere in the world. These protests and sanctions indicate a fundamental change in global cultural and artistic approaches that are increasingly inclined towards seeking justice and protecting human rights. Artists and cultural institutions now more than ever show sensitivity to complicity in human rights violations and war crimes and try to play their role in advancing justice and equality. These movements, both locally and internationally, represent changes that can ultimately lead to the cessation of war crimes and the protection of human rights around the world.

 

 

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