OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY |
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Thus began our call at the last Venice Film Festival.
Almost five months have passed, and the images reaching us directly from Palestine (images that to date have cost the lives of nearly 300 Palestinian media workers) confirm daily that the so-called "peace process" - a cover for an agreement between Western powers and their allied Arab states - has not brought peace for the Palestinian people, much less justice, but it has managed to lower the level of global attention. As a result Israel can carry
on committing crimes against humanity with impunity. We refuse to take any part in the normalization of this tragedy.
In Gaza, people continue to die. Netanyahu’s government keeps blocking the entry of food, basic necessities, humanitarian aid, and medicine. Since January 1st, 37 humanitarian organizations operating in the Strip amidst risks and difficulties have been denied access. Palestinians are trying to survive in dire conditions in Gaza and the invasions by Israeli settlers protected by the army are becoming increasingly lethal in the West Bank. Meanwhile winter has arrived and is claiming further victims.
As artists, authors, film workers, and activists, we believe that standing up for Palestine is even more necessary now that the policy of repressing dissent and of criminalizing protests, as well as the criminal persecution of individual activists and organizations, are increasing daily: Palestine is spoken of only in terms of judicial decisions against associations and activists.
Many European governments have already adopted the fallacious definition of antisemitism formulated by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), which is fundamental to the Zionist narrative because it deliberately equates Zionism with Judaism and legitimate criticism of the Israeli government with expressions of antisemitism. This confirms the increasingly oppressive repression and censorship taking place in great parts of Europe, in line with the disturbing trend of delegitimizing international law as well as civil and social rights. The normalization of the repression of all dissent (anti-Zionist or otherwise), as well as the systematic reversals of narratives, are before our eyes. This is why we cannot turn our gaze away from Palestine, because Palestine today represents all the oppressions and injustices occurring in the world.
Our gaze is the fundamental ingredient of filmmaking: the difficulty of this moment must make us even more motivated, precisely because the "film world" always engages with the "real world." Art is a means of transformation, of testimony, of profound understanding of the world, of representing humanity, and of developing critical awareness: an extraordinary means of reflection, active participation, and resistance that must respond to the dereliction of responsibility and the growing silence regarding Palestine. Let’s reiterate the notion that semantics, language, words, and images are not accessories - they are a form of resistance. If this were not the case, we would have to once again consider surrendering to the evidence that being a filmmaker or a journalist today no longer bears any meaning.
We want to continue to believe in films and in the people who make them, who love them, and who watch them. And who celebrate them. Let’s acknowledge that works such as The Voice of Hind Rajab and With Hasan in Gaza, both nominated for this year's EFA Awards, tell the stories of real people, real bombings, real crimes, perpetrated by Netanyahu’s government with the complicity of our countries. We can practice their form of resistance in our lives too. We can live up to the challenge presented by these films and continue, well beyond the running time of a film, to tell the truth in all the social spaces we inhabit before the truth is obscured by the upturned dystopian narratives of the oppressors.
We therefore urge those who will attend the European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, January 17, who will walk the red carpet, who will take the stage to award or be awarded, to take a stand against apartheid, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the occupation of Palestine, to express dissent and demand the liberation of the Palestinian people, and to do so creatively, drawing on our artistic and communicative skills.
"Fear Eats the Soul," Fassbinder once warned us.
We urge everyone not to be afraid, because there is still so much we can do. We can begin by doing what our governments are failing to do, despite the UN's recognition of the ongoing genocide. We can reject any form of complicity with Israel and its cultural ambassadors. At this moment in history, European cinema and the European Film Academy can seize the opportunity to express our most uncomfortable feelings and thoughts, especially if we can all summon a little more courage.
Free Palestine.
Free the World.
V4P
Venice 4 Palestine
with
Hany Abu-Assad Marina Aebi Vincenzo Agosto Mohammed Alatar Artemide Alfieri Kamal Aljafari Cécile Allegra Francesca Sofia Allegra Emin Alper Nabil Alraee Angelo Altea Carla Altieri Natalia Alvarez Alessandro Amato Meddeb Amina Armando Andria Claudia Angelillo Laura Angiulli Alessandro Aniballi Axel Arft Guillermo Argueta Massimo Arvat Josefin Åsberg Ricard Aurélie Louisa Babari Andrea Bagnale Valentina Bellè Sarah Bellinazzi Isabelle Benkemoun Jacob Berger Malek Bensmaïl Sonia Bergamasco Marta Bettoni Carla Bianchi Buttarazzi Luca Bigazzi Graziella Bildesheim Roberto Bisesti Elettra Bisogno Barbora Bobulova Stefania Bogo Kostantin Bojanov Maria Bonsanti Antonio Borrelli Sara Bosi Stephane Bottero Matteo Bove Francesca Bracci Alex Braga Marita Breuer Benedetta Buccellato Tizian Büchi Welket Bungué Carmine Buro Monique Busman Marco Calvani Gianluca Cangemi Nadia Capirchio Clarissa Cappellani Christian Carmosino Mereu Claudio Casazza Antonio Maria Castaldo Luciana Castellina Elena Castello Massimo Casula Pasquale Catalano Andrea Cimino Roberto Citran Francesco Costabile Lucilla Cristaldi Stefano D'Anna Daria D’Antonio Rosario D'Uonno Ghina Daou Celeste Dalla Porta Brecht Debackere Dominique Deruddere Steven Dhoedt Pierre de Domingo Domiziana De Fulvio Mieke de Jong Greta De Lazzaris Anna Di clemente Maria Teresa Di Clemente Leonardo Di Costanzo Dadà Di Donna Anna Di Francisca Nina di Majo Diego Diaz Jagna Dobesz Jasmin Durakovic Karim Dridi Juliette Duret Samira El Mouzghibati Jean Elia Licia Eminenti Anna Cristina Epifani Daniele Fabrizi Matteo Faccenda Annie Ernaux Abbas Fahdel Antonio Falcone Sara Falcone Marta Fernandes Davide Ferrario Milena Fiore Donatella Finocchiaro Beatrice Fiorentino Annalisa Forgione Ilaria Fraioli Giogiò Franchini Yael Friedman Emita Frigato Jean-Marc Fröhle Kira Fung Gaia Furrer Dario Fusco Giovanni Gaggia Daniele Gaglianone Gabriella Gallozzi Roberto Gambacorta Matteo Garrone Giuseppe Gaudino Katja Gauriloff Damiana Geissa Ivan Gergolet Christina Georgiou Emanuele Gerosa Noemi Ghetti Maurizio F. Giacobbe Fede Gianni Fabrizio Gifuni Adriano Giotti Giovanna Giuliani Tena Gojic Marcus Goldhahn Giuseppe Gori Savellini Federico Greco Luca Grimaldi Andrea Gropplero di Troppenburg Alessandra Grossi Caterina Gueli Letizia Gullo Sabina Guzzanti Peter Hammer Lilia Hartmann Trapani Fortunato Marco Iannaccone Nathan Idit Dario Indelicato Tecla Insolia Maria Iovine Baccar Jalila Mirijam Verena Jeremic/ Seelbinder Louise Johansen Daiva Jovaisiene Louis Euiyop Jung Dridi Karim Cherti Khalil Cornelia Koendgen Christoph Krauss Giuliano La Franca Nikos Labôt Line Langebek Lorenzo Lattanzi Luigia Lazzaro Silvia Lelli Sanna Lenken Alessandro Leone Beppe Leonetti Daniele Lince Luigi Lo Cascio Judith Longuet Marx Stefano Lorenzi Annalisa Lori Fabiomassimo Lozzi Loriana Lucarini Teresa Lucente Carlo Luglio Ariane M Irene Maiorino Marco Malfi Tanya Momella Mallory Leonardo Maltese Milena Mancini Marko Mandić Maria Grazia Mandruzzato Gabriella Manfrè Alina Marazzi Pasquale Mari Gesa Marten Stefano Martone Marina Alessandra Marzotto Bärbel Mauch Monica Maurer Driguez Michèle Francesco Massarelli Patricia Mazuy Francesca Micheletti Anna Minkiewicz Roberto Minervini Davide Minotti Teona Mitevska Alice Molari Francesco Montagner Mazzino Montinari Martina Moor Silvia Moraes Laura Morante Lino Musella Chiara Nano Randa Nassar Arab Nasser Tarzan Nasser Iole Natoli Licia Navarrini Loris G. Nese Claudio Noce Anatol Nitschke Michela Occhipinti Bruno Olivieri Raffaele Oriani Valérie Osouf Federico Pacifici Ilan Pappé Giovanna Pasi Andrea Pastor Carles Pastor Agnes Pavy Gianfilippo Pedote Lea Pedri Stocco Giovanni Pellegrini Valentina Pellitteri Giulia Perelli Vincenza Perilli Stefano Pesce Sara Petraglia Valérie Pico Valentina Pietrarca Biene Pilavci Antonella Pino Paolo Pisanelli Izabela Plucinska Paola Piscitelli Giovanni Pompili Edoardo Purgatori Jacopo Quadri Sebastiano Raimondo Cristina Rajola Merja Ritola Desideria Rayner Michele Riondino Adeline Rosenstein Marisella Rossetti Erika Rossi Dana Rotberg Sergio Rubini Chiara Russo Fausto Russo Alesi Samer Salameh Maria Carolina Salomè Paola Sambo Anna Maria Sambucco Isabella Sandri Valia Santella Enzo Saponara Federico Savonitto Fabio Scacchioli Silvia Pegah Scaglione Francesca Scanu Giacomo Scarpelli Raquel Schefer Katharina Marie Schubert Céline Sciamma Alessandro Scippa Bengi Semerci Pietro Sermonti Emanuele Sicignano Paolo Sideri Ezzaldeen Shalh Claire Simon Nicola Sisti Ajmone Ada Solomon Eyal Sivan Rosa Spaliviero Birgit Stauber Sylvia Steinbrecht Diego Romero Suárez Llanos Shereen Suleiman Silvana Tamma Angelo Tantaro Patrick Tass Gulga Tao Alin Tasciyan Fiorenza Tessari Beatrice Thiriet Marco Tizianel Isabella Tomasin Jasmine Trinca Antonia Truppo Adele Tulli Yanis Varoufakis Laurent Van Lancker Ines Vasiljevic Luc Vialle Giorgia Villa Vincenzo Vita Claudia von Alemann Nicolas Wadimoff Roger Waters Jil Winter Jessica Woodworth Mohanad Yaqubi Chiara Zanini Marco Zuin e Anonima impresa sociale Cinema Metropolis Umbertide Cinema postmodernissimo Diari di Cineclub - Periodico indipendente di cultura e informazione cinematografica La Palestine Sauvera le Cinéma UICD - Unione Italiana Casting Directors Voci per la Palestina |