Toronto Film Fest deflects criticism of Tel Aviv spotlight
As contributors threaten boycott, festival director defends event as forum to raise challenging questions.
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies Tags: Jewish World Israel news Tel AvivOrganizers of the Toronto International Film Festival this week defended their decision to present a series of films spotlighting the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which a group of high-profile artists and celebrities say constitutes complicity in "the Israeli propaganda machine."
"If there are issues that have been raised by these films, that's exactly what the festival should be about, to show work that's challenging, work that raises questions, work that's contemporary, work that deals with today's issues," Festival director Piers Handling. The films speak for themselves, he said, and are meant to promote discussion.
Several Canadian filmmakers plan to withdraw their movies from the festival, claiming that the screenings of 10 Tel Aviv films will show Israel in a positive light instead of creating a critical forum in which to discuss the occupation.
The Tel Aviv-centric week launches the Toronto Festival's new City to City event and is intended to celebrate Tel Aviv's centennial.
According to the protesting artists, including culture critic Naomi Klein and director John Greyson, the problem is not the official participation of Israeli films at the festival but the character of the forum in which they will be screened.
Greyson last week pulled his documentary "Covered" from the festival in protest, and a statement published online on Thursday and signed by more than 50 artists, academics, and filmmakers likened the program to a celebration of apartheid-era South Africa.
"This program ignores the suffering of thousands of former residents and descendants of the (Tel Aviv) area who currently live in refugee camps in the Occupied Territories or who have been dispersed to other countries," say the signatories, which also include actors Jane Fonda and Danny Glover and filmmaker Ken Loach.
They accuse the festival of taking direction from the "Brand Israel" campaign, which seeks to improve the country's image and has focused on Toronto as a test city.
"We do not protest the individual Israeli filmmakers included in City to City, nor do we in any way suggest that Israeli films should be unwelcome at TIFF," they say.
"However... we object to the use of such an important international festival in staging a propaganda campaign."
With a diverse multicultural population, including sizable Jewish and Arab groups, Toronto frequently sees public demonstrations of support for both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Earlier this year, the Ontario division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees passed a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions, while "Israeli Apartheid Week", founded in Toronto in 2005, is held annually on several Canadian university campuses.
In a blog posting last week, City to City festival programmer Cameron Bailey said he was attracted to Tel Aviv because "the films being made there explore and critique the city from many different perspectives".
He also said the series was conceived independently and was not the object of pressure from any outside source.
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Those people seems to ignore that thousands of Indians have been massacred and displaced in US and Canada not so long ago. Pls stop to focus on Isarël
The best answer to this criticism of spotlighting Tel Aviv is to buy tickets for the films. Some of the films are quite critical of Israeli society but go see them, go see all of the films. The best answer to the bigots of the world is to support free expression.
go out and support the festival, it's the best way to deal with these dorks.
The added publicity is creating a huge response from the Jewish (and other) communities. Many of us will be there to support these films. Interestingly, I hadn't purchased tickets to these films until the protest started - now I'll be there. Greyson's pulled film highlighed the welcome given by Muslims to a Gay festival. Let him go show it in Ramalla - I'm sure they'd love it.
there are lots of naive infidels in Toronto. Pro israel groups will suceed once again
This group of self-appointed censors wishes to stamp out anything that does not result in what they view as the correct portrayal of anything to do with Israel. This is the opposite of art.
these humanitarians need no critical discussions.
It is interesting to watch the Lefty attitude to the presentation of a "Tel Aviv week". All of a sudden they are not into the idea of freedom of ideas and their display. Oh my! the shocking ignorance is but a neon light pointing to the "fashonable" politics of these "artists". Jane Fonda? Isn't she deceased? Danny Glover? He defends the closing down of newspapers and television media by the Chavez regime. Sure he is for freedom of speech, droll. Now to "Kill Bush". Not one of these "freedom fighters" objected to the presentation of this base and disgusting film just last year. "Kill Bush!" hmmmmm... I wonder what their reaction would be to a "Kill Obama" work of art. We all known the answer. ( Burn an embassy) Politics as usual. A bunch of ill-informed and silly pseudo Lefty wealthy and elitist artists trying to get some media attention.
So here we have it---what these protesters are challenging are not conditions in the Territories but reather the actual existence of the State of Israel ie Tel Aviv. Curious, isn't it, that the reign of terror by Hamas in Gaza City is of no concern to these "humanists"....