Mumbai: Following an online campaign against the National Film Development Corporation of India’s (NFDC) decision to showcase Israeli films in Mumbai, the corporation was ultimately compelled to cancel the festival.
The event, originally scheduled for August 21 and 22 at the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai, was called off after over a thousand artists, activists, and concerned citizens issued a collective statement. The signature campaign was organised by the India Palestine Solidarity Forum, an informal group dedicated to raising awareness about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“This screening by the NFDC is shamefully taking place at a time when the entire world is witnessing Israeli war crimes, the ongoing Holocaust, and the genocide in Gaza, as well as across all of Palestine. The genocide is happening in real time, and the entire world is witnessing this inhuman criminal monstrosity, as we watch in horror on our mobile devices and TV screens,” the group said in a statement.
The statement was signed by prominent figures including actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak, senior human rights lawyer Mihir Desai, academic Irfan Engineer, and documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, among others.
Citing the medical research journal The Lancet, the statement added, “The Israeli regime has murdered 186,000 Palestinians, of whom 70% are children and women. The number may have now surpassed 200,000. This means that the Israeli regime has killed over 8% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, which clearly constitutes a Holocaust, no less. (Lancet, July 5, 2024, ‘Counting the Dead in Gaza – Difficult but Essential.’)”
In calling for the festival to be canceled, the group emphasised that the NFDC and NMIC management should recognise that the Government of India has consistently voted for a ceasefire and has recognised the Palestinian state, as have the vast majority of nations.
“At this moment in our collective human history, for the NFDC and NMIC to screen Israeli films is utterly immoral, unethical, unconscionable, and a travesty of justice,” the statement stated.
In the statement, the group has also urged both NFDC and NMIC to “refrain from any screening of Israeli films until Israel complies with International law, as do other civilised nations”.
The statement also added that Israeli war crimes have been documented and presented by a panel of South African Human Rights Lawyers at the International Criminal Court of Justice.
“In both instances the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have recognised the fact that Israel is guilty of genocide,” it said.
“Thus, the ICC has announced that it will issue an arrest warrant against Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, who must stand trial for war crimes.”
Although the NFDC and NMIC had not issued any official statement at the time of publication, the organisers of the signature campaign confirmed that the festival had been cancelled.
We have confirmed news that the NFDC/NMIC have called off the “Israel Film Festival”, to be held in Mumbai on the 21st-22nd of Aug…a signature campaign…got endorsements from over a 1000 people..NFDC/NMIC deciding to hold the festival was shocking
Advertisement— Subhashini Ali (@SubhashiniAli) August 20, 2024
Firoze Mithibirewala, who runs the India Palestine Solidarity Forum, said: “The NFDC called off the Israel Film Festival after a concerted public campaign.”
An official from the NMIC confirmed to Arab News on condition of anonymity that the festival “has been pulled down,” but declined to provide more details.
Read the full text of the India Palestine Solidarity Forum’s statement here.
