Festival artists urged to back Baillie Gifford open letter
More than 200 artists, arts workers and audience members are already said to have supported calls for the 78-year-old event to sever its ties with Baillie Gifford over its links with state-owned firms in Israel and the fossil fuels industry.
The open letter has been published days after the launch of a new campaign calling for the annual cultural to drop Baillie Gifford after more than a year of talks with the festival.
Read more:
The Art Workers for Palestine Scotland group has described Baillie Gifford's backing of the festival event - which was created in the aftermath of the Second World War – as 'artwashing.'
Its open letter urges the festival to 'end all partnerships with Baillie Gifford and to publicly commit to refusing funding from institutions profiting from arms, fossil fuels, and genocide.'
Baillie Gifford is one of the main corporate backers of the Edinburgh International Festival. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA
The campaign group has claimed that the festival has tried to gag artists and performers in this year's event through clauses in their contracts about conduct which may affect the 'reputation' of the EIF, its sponsors and supporters.
In an email to the group from the EIF board, the festival has insisted that the contract causes are 'standard provisions' used by UK arts organisations.
The board added: 'They are not, and have never been, intended to silence or censor political expression.'
The open letter has been published during the first week of the EIF, days after director Nicola Benedetti pledged that the event would be doubling down' on the founding principles which saw the event emerge in the aftermath of the Second World War.
She said the festival would be 'unwavering' in its commitment to bring artists together from around the world as she admitted feeling 'deep and constant pain' over the impact of prolonged conflict.
The EIF decided last year to stand by Baillie Gifford despite book festivals across the UK cutting their ties with the company in response to threats to boycott and disrupt events from climate activists and authors.
In June it emerged that the EIF had backed an open letter from arts organisations across the UK warning of the impact of 'relentless negativity' over corporate sponsors.
Francesca Hegyi, chief executive of the EIF, has suggested there has been a 'wholescale collapse of arts sponsorship' since Baillie Gifford was targeted over its links with festivals.
An email from the EIF to the campaign group last month said the festival had had 'detailed conservations' with Baillie Gifford over its investments and was 'satisfied that our relationship with them remains appropriate.'
The EIF, which has suggested that the campaign group has been individually contacting members of staff working on the event, has stressed that it has a 'duty of care' to its staff, artists and audiences.
It has also told the group that it will not be support a cultural boycott of Israel or taking 'public political positions on international conflicts.'
However the open letter from the campaigners states: 'Programming choices are political. Silence is political. Accepting money from those who fund genocide is a political act.
'The eyes of the world are on Edinburgh this August. Let this be the moment we choose justice over reputation, integrity over comfort, and solidarity over silence.'
A spokesperson for the EIF said: We share public concern about the ongoing violence in the Palestinian Territories, and other areas enduring conflict.
'The right to speak out, to demand change, and to protest these issues is fundamental to democracy.
'The festival gives voice to artists for important ideas, questions and stories to be freely presented and debated with nuance and empathy. Our 2025 programme tackles this and other important global issues head-on, from a range of perspectives.
'Our responsibility is to ensure the future of the festival, so that we can continue to offer public benefit and offer audiences transformational experiences. To do this we must secure funding from a balanced mix of public and private sources.
'Support from long standing donors such as Baillie Gifford enables us to sustain our artistic ambition, remain accessible to the widest possible audience, and contribute meaningfully to Scotland's cultural life.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Gal Gadot finally breaks silence on woke Snow White as she claims she was pressured over Israel
Gal Gadot blamed anti-Israel sentiment for the box office failure of the new politically correct live-action remake of Disney's Snow White. The movie was dogged by controversies, many of them involving the leading lady Rachel Zegler, who came under fire for polarizing public statements including 'free Palestine ' and her denunciations of the original animated feature she was remaking. Zegler's casting itself was a hot button issue, as she did not physically fit the original Grimm's fairy tale description of her character as having 'skin as white as snow.' The seven dwarfs also became a source of debate - seven little people were initially cast, but then after criticism from Peter Dinklage they were replaced with actors of varying physical descriptions 'to avoid reinforcing stereotypes,' leading to another backlash that prompted Disney to go back to seven dwarfs but now in CGI. However Gadot, 40, an Israeli who served in the IDF in accordance with the draft and has been an outspoken advocate of her country, has now indicated that she feels opposition to Israel caused her movie to flop. 'I was sure this movie was going to be a huge hit. And then…it happened,' said Gadot, referring to October 7, in an interview in Israel that has gone viral. 'And you know, this happens a lot in various industries, including Hollywood. There's pressure on celebrities to speak against Israel,' she argued. Speaking to an audience of people, she said that 'I can always explain and try to give context about what's happening here, and I always do that. 'But in the end, people make their own decisions. And I was disappointed the movie was so affected and it didn't succeed at the box office. But that's how it goes.' Gadot insisted that she 'really enjoyed filming this movie, really,' prompting an audience member to slyly interject: 'Especially when it wasn't with Rachel Zegler.' Rumors circulated last year that Gadot and Zegler were feuding over their divergent opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when her co-star was brought up to her on Israeli TV, Gadot said: 'I even joyed working with Rachel Zegler. I laughed, talked and had fun.' In the run-up to the movie's release, Gadot was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the controversies surrounding the project largely involved Zegler. Jonah Platt, a son of the movie's producer Marc Platt, even publicly slammed Zegler for her various political rants an claimed his father flew cross-country to 'reprimand' her for 'dragging her personal politics' into the film's promotional tour. Her initial casting as Snow White was a lightning rod of contention, as Zegler herself did not have the 'skin as white as snow' that the brothers Grimm had described. In 2022, while promoting her then-still-in-development new remake, Zegler also made scathing remarks about the original 1973 animated classic. 'There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird,' she said of the old movie. 'So we didn't do that this time.' Another controversy began in 2022 when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage - who himself has dwarfism - denounced the percolating Snow White remake for having a 'backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.' Almost immediately thereafter, the little people who had previously been cast for the movie were jettisoned from the project as Disney declared it hoped 'to avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film.' Other actors with dwarfism then fiercely criticized Dinklage to Daily Mail, arguing that he had reduced the number of jobs for actors with their condition. 'It makes me so sick to my stomach to think that there are seven roles for dwarfs that can't get normal acting roles, or very few and far between roles, and now they are gone because of this guy,' said one of them, Dylan Posti. 'Peter Dinklage is the biggest dwarf actor probably of all time but it doesn't make him king dwarf.' An on-set photo surfaced showing that the 'seven dwarfs' had been replaced by a racially diverse set of 'magical creatures' of various heights and appearances. The photo was deluged with such a tsunami of online mockery that Disney initially denied it was genuine before finally confessing it was.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'Compulsively watchable' Second World War series is based on heartbreaking novel
The series is available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service and is based on Mary Wesley's novel of the same name Lovers of period drama are in for a real delight as a captivating Second World War series is now available to stream at no cost whatsoever. Channel 4 is the proud broadcaster of this gem, which first graced television screens back in the early 90s and even snagged a BAFTA nomination for Best Drama Serial in 1993. The narrative unfolds within the picturesque confines of Helena Cuthbertson's Cornish country abode, with the series' name inspired by a scenic stretch of land between her house and the coastal cliffs where pivotal moments occur. Cornwall's reputation as a prime setting for exceptional period dramas remains unchallenged. The role of Helena Cuthbertson is portrayed by none other than Felicity Kendal of The Good Life fame, with Toby Stephens as Oliver Ansty, Jennifer Ehle as Calypso, and Tara Fitzgerald as Polly. READ MORE: BBC viewers praise 'incredible' period drama as 'one of the greatest' on iPlayer Spanning from just before the outbreak of the Second World War to its aftermath in the mid-1980s, The Camomile Lawn has earned acclaim from enthusiasts as "ingenious". Mary Wesley's novel kicks off with a family gathering in Cornwall during the tranquil summer preceding the global conflict, reports Cornwall Live. When the family reconvenes for a funeral almost fifty years on, they come to terms with the profound effects the war had on their lives. Wesley was spurred to pen The Camomile Lawn following the passing of her second husband, an event that left her in financial ruin. Drawing from her own experiences, parts of the book reflect Wesley's formative years, with the Cornish house mirroring Boskenna - the historic settlement - where she spent considerable time during her younger days. Audiences expressed their views on the adaptation, with Antony Taylor declaring: "Simple and ingenious story, wonderful cast, perfect direction and a script full of sparkle. Watch it and love it." Drawing in over seven million viewers during its debut broadcast, The Camomile Lawn became Channel 4's highest-rated drama of all time – a milestone it maintained as of 2022. One admirer commented on IMDb: "The Camomile Lawn is one of my favourite British TV adaptations." Notmicro described it as "Compulsively watchable and great fun", continuing: "I'd been curious for years to see this thing, both because of the very interesting actors, and the period setting. "Now I've just watched the British DVD, and found that its absolutely brilliantly done, and compulsively watchable. "It takes some time getting accustomed to the affected and presumably somewhat archaic upper-middle-class accents assumed by some of the actors." The Camomile Lawn is available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Gags Army shows how humour can help us deal with the trauma of war
Gags Army at the Free Festival is an hour of comedy from British military veterans So the Oasis bandwagon has rolled out of town. It was a fun few days. Some predictions proved to be accurate, others to be wide of the mark. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh City Council's leaked memo warning that the city would be full of overweight middle-aged men proved to be right on the money, although the trams seem to have coped – none seem to have been broken by the overload. However, Fringe performers' fears of their sales being affected were utterly groundless, as the Murrayfield gigs had little impact on tickets for my show over any of the three nights. It would appear that overweight middle-aged men don't just want to singalong to chart hits from the 90s. They like a bit of culture too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Fringe is a month-long introspective bubble where participants and audiences ignore the horrors of the world outside. The Ukraine war and the atrocities being carried out by Israel in Gaza fall off the priority list of many while the festival is in town. So it's nice to see a couple of shows redressing the balance. Which is apt, given that the Edinburgh Festival itself was founded as a celebration of peace and global unity as Europe began to recover from the carnage of the Second World War. For three days next week, The Palestine Comedy Club will be presenting Palestine Stands Up, a show with a line-up of comedians who are continuing to run comedy shows in their country and have come to Edinburgh to showcase their talent. If anything illustrates the strength of the human spirit, it is the ability to laugh in the face of adversity. Likewise, Gags Army at the Free Festival is an hour of comedy from British military veterans who served in the Falklands, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Growing out of a workshop which employed comedy as a tool to help them deal with PTSD, it turned out that they were funny guys. They now have a Fringe show. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If you get the chance, check out these shows. Neither of them shies away from the horrors of war. Both, however, are illustrations of how humour can help us deal with the trauma of violent conflict. And don't be surprised to see some fat middle-aged blokes wearing bucket hats in the audience.
