At least five filmmakers withdrew their documentaries from IDFA last weekend. It is expected that more will follow. The reason: IDFA would silence Palestinian activists with a series of official announcements.
The confusing nature of the riot – it is a response to a statement about a political expression – shows how difficult it is for socially committed cultural institutions to maintain neutrality. And it is a lesson for other (film) festivals that will take place in the near future and will also have to choose a position, such as the Berlin Film Festival.
The riot started on opening night. Three activists unexpectedly came on stage with a banner bearing the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was standing. A frequently used, and for some controversial, slogan, which in the literal sense expresses the wish for a free Palestine, in the entire Palestinian area, including the places that are now Israeli. The activists also called for a ceasefire. After a few minutes they walked from the stage to their reserved seats, to the applause of the audience and artistic director Orwa Nyrabia.
Open letter
An open letter from Israeli producers and filmmakers particularly condemned Nyrabia’s actions. The slogan: from the river to the sea, in their eyes, is a call for violence and genocide, the erasure of the Israeli state. The Dutch House of Representatives also previously condemned the slogan as a call to violence. The German government has even banned the use of the slogan. And it is known that the terrorist group Hamas, responsible for the October 7 attack, also uses the slogan. The fact that Orwa applauded it was an indication to the Israeli filmmakers that this was IDFA’s official position.
Before the festival, IDFA tried to remain neutral. The festival, Nyrabia wrote NRC, had to be a place where there was room for all voices, and polarization was avoided. Now IDFA could no longer remain neutral.
On Friday, two days after the opening night, IDFA issued a statement apologizing for the applause. Nyrabia could not see the slogan on the banner, he wrote. So he did not applaud the ‘triggering’ and ‘offensive’ slogan, but for freedom of expression. It is difficult to be open to all opinions in these times, he also wrote in the statement.
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Silencing
Satisfying one side, however, meant repelling the other. The statement was interpreted as silencing activists for the Palestinian cause. Statements from quitting filmmakers, activists, and Palestinians argue that the slogan is not a call for violence, but rather a call to put an end to the violence, occupation, and oppression of Palestinians by Israel. IDFA would adopt the ‘Israeli frame’ by condemning the use of the words. That would lead to “criminalization of activism,” according to the filmmakers’ statements.
More and more filmmakers withdrew on Saturday and Sunday. The Filipino Miko Revereza (Nowhere Near) was one of the first. The Iranian Maryam Tafakory (Mast del), British Charlie Shackleton (Lateral), and, more painfully: the Palestinian Basma al-Sharif, who fulfilled a jury role and was personally invited to the festival by artistic director Orwa Nyrabia, with four of her short films. It is likely that more filmmakers will withdraw.
The Palestinian Film Institute also withdrew from any activity it was involved in, including the screening of three documentaries on “the Palestinian experience.” The Film Institute called on filmmakers to withdraw and visitors to ask for their money back if they had already purchased a ticket.
Damage control
An attempt at damage control by IDFA – a press release calling for a ceasefire – failed to turn the tide. The fact that IDFA has been offering financial support to Palestinian filmmakers for years also did not help. “It seems that IDFA only considers Palestinians valuable when they serve as a progressive facade for their institution,” the Palestinian Film Institute wrote in their press release.
It is not the first time that a fuss has arisen surrounding IDFA’s handling of the Palestinian cause. There was already a commotion in 2021 because IDFA did not speak out about the victims in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem where the original residents were evicted from their homes by Israel. And what is extra striking is that IDFA did condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Despite the fact that IDFA is usually averse to political statements.
Before the festival, artistic director Orwa Nyrabia already wrote that he hesitated about what to do in this situation. Because there is “no consensus on who are the weak and the strong in this conflict.”
On Sunday evening, IDFA published another message to the “documentary community.” The call for a ceasefire was repeated, as well as a call for opening the borders to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. And: “We do not want to ignore, undermine, or criminalize the different views on the slogan.” The core message: IDFA is for everyone; open and inclusive without censorship. They hope that people will still use that platform.
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