[News] We are Not Israelis: Palestinian Actors Boycott Cannes Film Festival

[Anti-Imperialist News]

palestinechronicle.com
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/we-are-not-israelis-palestinian-actors-boycott-cannes-film-festival/>
We
are Not Israelis: Palestinian Actors Boycott Cannes Film Festival
July 10, 2021
------------------------------
The movie 'Let There Be Morning' was labeled as an Israeli production.
(Photo: Video Grab)

Actors starring in the new film “Let There Be Morning” have withdrawn their
participation from the Cannes Film Festival, in protest of the film being
labeled as an Israeli production.

The film, which is written and directed by Eran Kolirin, and adapted from
the book of the same name by Palestinian writer Sayed Kashua, tells the
story of an Israeli Palestinian who comes to discover his identity and
national affiliation after finding the village he grew up in.

The stars of the film, including prominent Arab and Palestinian actors Alex
Bakri, Juna Suleiman, and Salim Dau, signed a letter laying out their
objections.

Video: #Palestinian
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/Palestinian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> cast
refuses to take part in Cannes Film Festival over inclusion as 'Israeli
film' https://t.co/YPvl4DonbU

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) July 9, 2021
<https://twitter.com/MiddleEastMnt/status/1413586261919604748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

“We are proud and stand behind our participation in the film of our friend
and ally, Eran Kolirin, which is based on the book by Sayed Kashua, Let
There Be Morning,” the letter read.

“And yet, we cannot ignore the contradiction that stems from the fact that
the film was accepted to Cannes under the ‘Israeli film’ category,” it
added.

The cast (Palestinian-Israeli actors) of “Let There Be Morning,” Israeli
director Eran Kolirin’s new film premiering at the #Cannes
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cannes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> Film
Festival this Saturday, has decided not to attend the French Film Festival.
https://t.co/kvR4GKLC6U

— The Palestine Project (@PalestineProjct) July 9, 2021
<https://twitter.com/PalestineProjct/status/1413287838745960450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

The cast condemned continued Israeli policies in the occupied territories,
including the “denial of rights, apartheid, military control, violence
against Palestinians, and erasure of identity”.

“Our decision to boycott Cannes due to the bureaucratic decision to
categorize the film as Israeli is not just symbolic for us. We stand
together and call on the artistic and international community to amplify
the voice of Palestinian artists,” the artists said.

Israeli government fumes as Arab cast of Cannes-screened movie about
IDF-blockaded village skip festival in protest – https://t.co/2dKknnCAeX –
Israel’s culture minister blasted as hypocritical the decision of
Palestinian actors starring in the film ‘Let There Be Morning’ t…

— kashco.co.uk (@Kashco_co_uk) July 9, 2021
<https://twitter.com/Kashco_co_uk/status/1413461299837632514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

“We oppose all forms of oppression of the Israeli regime against the right
of the Palestinian people to live, be and create.”

Responding to the decision of the artists, Israeli director Kolirin,
claimed that it was not a boycott, but rather a political act.

*(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)*

(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/about/> 501(c)3 organization, thus, all
donations are tax deductible.)
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