Latest news with #IsraeliFilmFestival
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Israeli film fest postponed; ‘nothing political about it'
Chennai: Owing to protests over Israel's attack on Palestine, the Israeli Film Festival organized by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), which was scheduled to be held from May 29 to 31 at the Tagore Film Centre in RA Puram, has been postponed indefinitely. Organizers say cultural centres have been hesitant, as human rights activists and writers have been expressing concerns over having such an event during a time of war. Writers' groups, politicians, and activists called the move politically insensitive and requested state govt to cancel the fest. Sasikanth Senthil, MP and member of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Artists' Association (TNPWAA) posted a poster of the festival announcement on his X handle and said, "As someone who deeply believes in the power of art to build bridges, I rarely call for cultural cancellations. But there are moments in history when silence or neutrality risks being complicit." He says this event could be perceived as a "tacit endorsement or at the very least, indifference to the suffering of a besieged population". "This is not a rejection of art," says Senthil, but a call to "be mindful of context, timing, and the moral message we send as a society". "This festival has nothing to do with politics; it's all about films," says Emanadar Thangaraj, ICAF's director of administration. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Keventer One: Offices built for you Keventer ONE Undo "The Israel and Palestine war has nothing to do with India. Why should that stop us from consuming the art they make? We've been organizing such events for the past 20 years, and the purpose of such events has been to expose film lovers to films around the world. I don't understand why people are making this political. " TNPWAA state president Madhukoor Ramalingam, says the association believes films are the most important medium of communication to address the masses on important topics and issues. "One of the ways we can condemn what Israel is doing is by not promoting art that comes from a place that bombs innocents." A source close to ICAF says that although external factors pushed for the festival to be postponed, "internal politics has escalated the issue". Despite resistance, ICAF is still planning to hold the festival wherever possible. "We will organize this at a centre that will allow screenings to take place. No change of plans," says Thangaraj.
The Print
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Israeli film fest in Chennai postponed amid backlash for ‘legitimising' Netanyahu govt's actions in Gaza
Earlier in the day, the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association had urged the foundation to call off the festival voluntarily. In a post on Facebook Monday evening, ICAF said that the proposed film festival was being postponed 'due to certain unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances'. Chennai: Following backlash from various quarters, including political parties and groups, and the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Artists' Association affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) has postponed the Israeli Film Festival in Chennai, which was scheduled to be held between 29 and 31 May. 'The foundation, which organises the Chennai International Film Festival, and other countries' film festivals with financial support from the Tamil Nadu government, must not equate Israel with other nations by including an Israeli Film Festival in its line-up,' read the statement issued by the group's state president Mathukur Ramalingam and general secretary Aadhavan Deetchanya. They said that holding such a film festival in Tamil Nadu is 'an act of political insensitivity'. 'At a time when the world condemns the Israeli government for its terrorist actions, including the killing and displacement of Palestinians, holding such a festival in Tamil Nadu, a state with political awareness that upholds the natural rights of Palestinians, is an act of political insensitivity,' the statement added. The association alleged that the festival indirectly supports the Israeli government's actions, and legitimises its attempt to be recognised as a normal nation like others. Additionally, political parties and movements, including Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), May 17 Movement, Tamil National Liberation Movement, and Indian Tawheed Jamaat had released a joint statement, demanding that the event be called off. 'Allowing the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation to hold an Israeli film festival at the Tamil Nadu Government Music College in Chennai would be seen as indirectly supporting Israel's human rights violations,' the statement read. It contradicts Tamil Nadu's long-standing humanitarian traditions and its cultural identity of standing for justice and supporting the oppressed, the statement added, calling on the state government to take a firm stand in support of the Palestinian people's struggle against Israel's 'inhumane' actions. Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil had also urged the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its decision to host the festival. 'With the world watching in anguish as Gaza faces relentless violence, unprecedented civilian casualties, and obstructed humanitarian aid, proceeding with this event could be perceived as a tacit endorsement or at the very least, indifference to the suffering of a besieged population,' he wrote on X. As someone who deeply believes in the power of art to build bridges and foster understanding, I rarely call for cultural cancellations. But there are moments in history when silence or neutrality risks being complicit. In times of profound human suffering, even symbolic gestures… — Sasikanth Senthil (@s_kanth) May 26, 2025 (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Are Tamil films lazy or nostalgic? Retro hits from Kaithi to GBU wearing thin
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Call off Israeli Film Festival, Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association tells Indo Cine Foundation
Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association has called upon the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) not to organise the Israeli Film Festival that is scheduled to be held between May 29 and May 31 in Chennai. The association has flagged the timing of the festival, at a time when the Zionist State is being hauled up internationally for war crimes. Especially in a State like Tamil Nadu, where people's political consciousness is aligned with the people of Palestine endorsing their natural right to Statehood, it was tone-deaf on the part of ICAF to equate Israel to other nations and organise the Israeli Film Festival. It amounted to sanitising the crimes of Israel, the association has stated. At a time, when the State of Israel had unleashed colonisation by terror on the peoples of Palestine and grabbed their lands in a continuing war, ICAF has announced an Israeli Film Festival in the name of film appreciation. 'When Israel has been isolated internationally for war crimes, to lend a platform to Israel's cinema alongside the cinema of other countries was akin to normalising the Zionist State's war crimes,' the Statement by TNPWAA said. The Association has called upon the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation to voluntarily call off the festival, failing which, the State Government should deny permission for the conduct of the festival, said the statement released by Madhukur Ramalingam, State President, Aadhavan Deetchanya, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association.
