Congratulations. Our concerns were taken seriously by the Locarno Film Festival and they decided to drop the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a sponsor from the program. As of late last night, Locarno has removed the logo of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the website, the downloadable press release and brochure for the 2006 festival which begins August 2nd. Thankfully no brochures had been printed yet, thus the logo will not appear in any of the printed materials either. Thank you and also thanks to Locarno for taking a stand. Warmly, Annemarie

July 18th, 2006


We, the undersigned filmmakers and other invited guests to the Locarno
International Film Festival 2006 would like to express our deep concern with the
fact that the festival’s Leopards of Tomorrow program is co-sponsored by the
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Given the current belligerence exhibited by Israel in its ongoing brutal attack
on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians and infrastructure, justified by the same
Ministry of Foreign Affairs that is listed as a cosponsor of the festival, we
demand that the festival organizers reconsider their relationship to the
government of Israel, and withdraw the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs from
the list of the festival’s sponsors.

We make this demand in consideration of the hundreds of innocent civilians that
have been murdered by the State of Israel in its ongoing campaign. We do so in
consideration of the many cultural centers, arts institutions and universities
targeted by Israeli bombs and missiles. We do so because we ourselves are under
siege. We do so because we are in solidarity with those who are under siege.
Under these circumstances, the actions of the State of Israel cannot be treated
as normal.

We expect that our colleagues and friends organizing the Locarno Film Festival
will stand with us, and remove the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the
list of sponsors of the Leopards of Tomorrow program; if not, unfortunately we
will have no choice but to withdraw our films from the program. We simply
cannot, from an ethical standpoint, attend or screen our films in any program or
event that refuses to recognize the direness of situations such as the present
one and does not stand for human dignity in the face of barbarity perpetuated
against any peoples.

It is well worth revisiting the timeless words of the German philosopher, Walter
Benjamin, from his Theses on the Philosophy of History:

“The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the ‘state of emergency’
in which we live is not the exception but the rule. We must attain to a
conception of history that is in keeping with this insight. Then we shall
clearly realize that it is our task to bring about a real state of emergency,
and this will improve our position in the struggle against Fascism. One reason
why Fascism has a chance is that in the name of progress its opponents treat it
as a historical norm. The current amazement that the things we are experiencing
are ‘still’ possible in the twentieth century is not philosophical. This
amazement is not the beginning of knowledge—unless it is the knowledge that
the view of history which gives rise to it is untenable.”

Sincerely,

Annemarie Jacir, Palestine (Filmmaker)
Kamran Rastegar, Dreams of a Nation (Invited Guest)
Elia Suleiman, Palestine (Filmmaker)
Hazim Bitar, Jordan (Filmmaker)
Sabine El Chamaa, Lebanon (Filmmaker)
Elie Khalife, Lebanon (Filmmaker)
Alexandre Monnier, Switzerland/Lebanon (Filmmaker)
Sameh Zoabi, Palestine (Filmmaker)
Myrna Maakaron, Lebanon (Filmmaker)