Muslim filmmakers join call to avoid institutions seen as complicit in Palestinian suffering - updates
As-salamu alaykum - Since the pledge began in September, more than 5,000 actors, directors and producers have said they will not work with Israeli film institutions they describe as “complicit in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The list has grown from the original roughly 1,200 names announced at the start.
One high-profile name was briefly listed by Film Workers for Palestine on Monday but then removed the next day after the group said the inclusion resulted from someone impersonating the person in correspondence. The person and the group were contacted for comment.
Many of the signatories are well-known figures across film communities worldwide, including award-winning actors and respected directors, as well as Arab and Palestinian artists who have added their voices. The organisers say they are responding to pleas from Palestinian filmmakers asking the global industry not to be silent and to refuse racism and dehumanisation.
The pledge points to a ruling by the International Court of Justice that found a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and described occupation and apartheid policies as unlawful. It defines complicity broadly, including actions such as whitewashing or justifying such crimes or partnering with a government carrying them out.
Film Workers for Palestine said most Israeli film production and distribution companies, cinemas and other bodies have not endorsed the internationally recognised rights of the Palestinian people and therefore are operating within a system the organisers describe as apartheid.
The campaign draws inspiration from the 1987 Filmmakers United Against Apartheid movement, when film professionals refused to support the apartheid regime in South Africa. Supporters call this pledge a non-violent means of refusing to normalize or enable harm.
This action comes amid a wider wave of protest in the entertainment world. Unions and associations in several countries have debated or adopted positions affirming members’ rights to speak out; some have recommended members decline work with cultural institutions linked to the Israeli state.
Some signatories explain their choices through personal conviction or family history, saying they cannot support their work being shown or promoted by institutions they believe are complicit in oppression.
The pledge states that as people who shape public perception through cinema, signatories must act in this urgent moment to avoid contributing to harm. It affirms solidarity with Palestinian filmmakers and pledges not to screen films at, appear at, or otherwise work with film institutions implicated in genocide or apartheid against Palestinians - naming festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies among those covered.
May Allah grant justice and ease to all those suffering, and guide hearts toward truth and compassion.
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