KINSELLA: Is Qatar steering TIFF's ship?

Yahoo

17 hours ago

Unlike Hamas, which still maintains an office in Qatar, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) operates out of a post office box in the oil-rich Middle Eastern country. But the institute — which proclaims that it is 'independent' and merely interested in promoting film and culture — wields a lot of clout.
With the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), in particular.
DFI came into existence in 2010. It is led by Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, a telegenic Qatari woman. Alremaihi has not hidden her disdain for Israel, in her public remarks or in the films she funds.
Just days after Hamas murdered, raped and wounded thousands of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, for example, Alremaihi spoke at a conference in Doha promoting 'voices from Palestine.' The DFI CEO called for 'resistance,' quote unquote, presumably against Israel.
She called for a minute of silence for Palestinian 'martyrs,' and, according to at least one news report, attacked 'ongoing Israeli aggression' and 'the Israeli war machine.' Said the report, in The Peninsula:
'Alremaihi pointed out (Israel's) violations of international and ethical laws, as well as humanitarian standards and values, by the Israeli colonial occupation. She highlighted the importance of the 'Free Palestine' slogan, noting that it represents a defence of not only Palestine and its people but also our universal principles of freedom and humanity.
'Today, when millions of people all over the world say 'Free Palestine,' it's not a slogan to defend Palestine and Palestinians only. It's a chant defending our own freedom, humanity and values.'
Alremaihi called for 'resistance … through various means,' said The Peninsula's reporter.
Watching the circus that was the Toronto International Film Festival this past week, one can be forgiven for wondering: does that 'resistance' extend to TIFF? How much influence does Qatar exercise over the celebrated Canadian film festival? Both are fair questions, particularly after TIFF refused to screen The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a Canadian film that showcased one Israeli's family's experiences on Oct. 7.
Among other things, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey had told the film's makers their documentary would be barred from TIFF because they did not obtain 'legal clearance of all footage' — essentially, from Hamas, a terror group. A massive controversy ensued, with Bailey and TIFF being pilloried on front pages around the globe. On Thursday afternoon, Bailey and TIFF completely reversed their idiotic decision. Sources say 'heads will roll' soon at the organization, this newspaper has been told.
TIFF reverses decision, will show Oct. 7 massacre film
EDITORIAL: Moral cowardice at Toronto film festival
Bailey is not an antisemite, those same sources say. So, what persuaded TIFF to bar the film? Was it Qatar?
It, too, is a fair question, because the relationship between TIFF and the Doha Film Institute has grown exponentially since 2019. Qatar has funded many antisemitic and anti-Israel boycott campaigns in recent years — along with its documented support for Hamas and its terrorism. Meanwhile, DFI — Qatar's official film institute — has produced multiple films that have been screened at TIFF. In 2019 alone, no less than 12 Qatari-funded films were shown at TIFF. One was a profile of a leader of the Abu Nidal group, which terrorized the West and Israel in the late Eighties, killing over 1600 people in 20 countries. In that film, shown at TIFF, members of Abu Nidal are called 'honest.'
Interestingly, TIFF is a partner with the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. One of the films to be shown at the TIFF Lightbox in 2025 includes one about someone 'imprisoned by the Israeli occupation' — and notes that 'the ongoing oppression and killing of Palestinian people isn't new.'
So, again: how much funding has TIFF received from Qatar? Have its executives or staff received any travel or other benefits? What influence, if any, has DFI or Qatar exercised over TIFF since 2019? Written questions about all that were sent to TIFF. They have yet to respond.
For now, TIFF remains in the public relations burn unit. Its missteps will be studied by PR students for years to come — as an example of what not to do.
Allegations of antisemitism will hang over TIFF for some time to come. But so, too, this question:
How much control does Qatar exercise over Canada's premier film festival?
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