The following motion was put down in the Scottish Parliament last Thursday -

Participation in the Edinburgh International Film Festival

S3M-04525 Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Scottish Labour)

That the Parliament welcomes the 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival and the contribution that the event makes to Scottish cultural life; appreciates the pleasure that the festival has brought audiences and the platform that it has provided to film makers from Scotland and around the world; recognises the importance of film in challenging prejudice and tackling controversial subjects; notes, for example, the number of Arab, Palestinian and Israeli productions focussing on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the number of those films reflecting varied and opposing points of view that have received funding from the Israeli Film Fund; therefore expresses concern at the decision of the film festival to return a grant made by the Israeli Embassy to help an Israeli director participate in this important cultural event; calls for all communities and voices to be heard in such a creative forum, and greets with relief the news that the Israeli director will be able to attend the Edinburgh International Film Festival after all.

We have already reported on the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s decision to return a grant from the Israeli Embassy.

To coincide with the beginning of the Festival, several film industry figures have come together to support the Israeli filmmakers and criticise the Festival organisers. Their letter is below:

Sir, The Edinburgh International Film Festival has always been a highlight of the British creative calendar. This year, with so many people talking about a new golden age of British cinema, there is even greater excitement around the festival. Continue reading ‘Film Industry attacks the Edinburgh Film Festival’ »

Yesterday’s Times reported that Sir Jeremy Isaacs condemned the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s decision to return a £300 grant from the Israeli Embassy.

“I have admired the Edinburgh International Film Festival for many years and would like to think that this appalling decision will be rescinded.”

Lord Janner said

“By banning the Israeli Embassy from supporting a film-maker the festival is helping to exclude Israelis from British cultural life, something that is clearly unfair.”

In one piece of good news, though, the Festival has agreed to pay Tali Shalom Ezer’s travel costs out of its own pocket. This is something we called on them to do. Ironically, therefore, Ken Loach’s protest means that rather than the Israeli embassy, the Edinburgh International Film Festival is now directly supporting Israeli culture.

Finally, on the 19th of May, the Scotsman‘s Leader condemned the EIFF and Ken Loach. As it does not appear on the Scotsman website, we reproduce it below: Continue reading ‘More on the Edinburgh Film festival’ »

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has returned a contribution from the Israeli Embassy, after a 3-day campaign by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) and Ken Loach. the SPSC threatened to disrupt the festival’s events unless the money was returned, and Ken Loach called for the EIFF to be boycotted.

The money in question was only about £300. It was given by the Israeli Embassy to subsidise the visit of Tali Shalom Ezer, a film student, to answer questions after the screening of her short film “Surrogate”. It’s now not clear whether Ms Ezer will be able to attend at all.

EIFF spokeswoman Emma McCorkell said:

“we consider the opinions of the film industry as a whole and, as such, accept that one film-maker’s recent statement speaks on behalf of the film community, therefore we will be returning the funding issued by the Israeli embassy.”

Ken Loach is doubtless an influencial figure, but does he really speak on behalf of ‘the film community‘, a diverse group of directors, actors, writers and production companies spread throughout the world? For example, presumably he doesn’t speak on behalf of Ginnie Atkinson, who said a few days earlier that declining the Embassy’s contribution

“would set a dangerous precedent by politicising a cultural and artistic mission”.

Ms Atkinson is certainly a member of ‘the film community‘, as she is the Director of the EIFF. It’s a shame that she didn’t stand by her comment.

The EIFF has other national sponsors, but they have not returned the money from the US Consulate over the invasion of Iraq, and they haven’t returned Poland’s cash over their increasing discrimination against gay people. So far, only Israel has been targeted in this way. It is another example where the bully-boy boycotters have intimidated a British institution through threats and blackmail.

The EIFF should apologise to the Israeli embassy for caving into this pressure, and pay for Tali Shalom Ezer to come over themselves.

(Also, see Alex Massie in the Spectator, who points out how ridiculous Loach’s position is.)