Film Fest Gent rules out collaboration with Israeli film companies
Film Fest Gent will not enter into future collaborations with Israeli film companies or institutions that are linked to the state and explicitly endorse its policies. General director Marijke Vandebuerie announced the decision during the presentation of the festival’s 52nd edition.
“The 52nd edition of the festival is set against the backdrop of the genocide in Palestine. There is an international statement by 'Film Workers for Palestine' that we have endorsed and in which we commit not to cooperate with Israeli organisations involved in genocide and apartheid towards the Palestinian civilian population,” Vandebuerie explained.
The decision means that the festival will scrutinise whether incoming projects or productions have institutional ties to the Israeli state. Individual filmmakers, however, will not be targeted. “No, it does not target individuals. It targets Israeli institutions that have ties to the Israeli state and therefore endorse the policy,” Vandebuerie stressed.
Protest and impotence
She described the decision as both a form of protest and an expression of frustration. “We are obviously doing it out of protest, because we don’t agree with this aggression, but also out of impotence. Because it goes on and on. I think like everyone else, we gradually get the tendency to stop watching the news because the images are so horrific. But I think we just have to keep watching to relate to that.”
The announcement is particularly notable in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the Ghent Festival of Flanders. That festival faced international backlash after it cancelled a concert by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani and the Munich Philharmonic. The decision was condemned internationally as discriminatory and anti-Semitic, leading to resignations among board members and significant pressure on sponsors.
Film Fest Gent, however, continues to stress that its pledge is directed at institutions, not individuals.
#FlandersNewsService | Film Fest Gent general director Marijke Vandebuerie. © BELGA PHOTO JONAS DHOLLANDER
Related news
