Director hands back award in protest at Loach
Gary Sinyor accuses Edinburgh Film Festival of caving in to anti-Israeli views
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Independent Minds
The Israel film 'Surrogate' was withdrawn from the Edinburgh International Film Festival at the request of film director Ken Loach
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A Jewish film-maker has handed back a prestigious award from the Edinburgh International Film Festival in an ugly spat with the British director Ken Loach.
Gary Sinyor, who won a Charles Chaplin Award at the EIFF for his Jewish comedy Leon the Pig Farmer, said he wanted nothing more to do with the festival after accusing it of caving in to Mr Loach's anti-Israeli views.
The row began after the festival accepted a £300 donation from the Israeli embassy to pay for a film studies graduate of Tel Aviv University to attend the premiere of her short movie Surrogate at the festival in Scotland next month. But the sponsorship raised the hackles of Loach, who backed a boycott unless the money was returned forcing the EIFF to find alternative ways to fund Tali Shalom-Ezer's trip.
Now the row has flared up again. In an article for The Independent, Sinyor brands Loach "an extremist", a "blackmailer" and a "hypocrite" for raising objections over the source of funding.
He also accuses film festival organisers of "rolling over", saying: "Why on earth did the EIFF take his (Loach's) views into account?"
He said: "Today I am writing to the Edinburgh Film Festival and asking for my name to be taken off their records. I am removing Winner, Best British Film, Edinburgh 1992, from my CV. If I could cut the award in half and send it back, I would."
Sinyor saved his most damning indictment for Loach. "Ken Loach took it upon himself publicly to endorse the boycott of the entire Edinburgh Film Festival to make his views doubly clear... It's a shame that Ken feels particularly strong about not having anything to do with Israel or Israeli money. It's a shame because clearly some Israelis obviously like Ken."
Yesterday, Loach remained intransigent, saying: "I don't respond to personal attacks. I would urge Gary Sinyor and others to look at the facts of the boycott."
He also sent The Independent a copy of his open letter, written to Ms Shalom-Ezer, explaining why he objected to her source of funding, which said: "To be crystal clear, as a film-maker, you will receive a warm welcome in Edinburgh. You are not censored or rejected. The opposition was to the festival's taking money from the Israeli state."
In a blog, Tali Shalom-Ezer, aged 31, was quoted as saying: "Generalising all citizens of Israel as warmongers and racists is racism and outrageous, and as members of the peace camp we are personally hurt by it."
Iain Smith, chair of EIFF, said he had launched a review. "I apologise sincerely for the distress. Clearly we didn't appreciate enough that our festival cannot keep itself entirely detached from serious geopolitical issues," he said.
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Comments
I would love to know if Mr Loach has ever accepted financial support from the British government or any other.
There is a sniff of selective disdain here.
He has played right into the hands of the enemies of Israel and made himself look ridiculous to boot!
As for Tali Shalom-Ezer, he is a classic example of what Johann Hari called 'whataboutery' in a recent column. Rather than debate or refute the statement by Ken Loach, he attempts to change the subject.
He creates a 'straw man' argument and attribute comments to Ken Loach that were never actually made. Johann Hari expertly demonstrated that this approach is frequently applied to those who have no real basis to reply to a statement made about Israel.
Time to hand back the land you stole.
People are entitled to their opinion. Clearly popular opinion is turning against the Israeli's occupation. Hopefully more people will stand up and make their objections clear. See, unlike Hollywood the British Film Industry has itegrity and does not pander to a pro jewish monopoly.
Loach wants to raise the issue again so we don't forget it. He is principled and brave and fearless.
This is a difficult one to get a resolution out of - Loach is a commie who will accuse you of being a Zionist, Israel are a bunch of Nazis who will accuse you of being anti-semitic. Both will expect you to take their side without reservation.
If Ken had such warm feelings for Tali Shalom-Ezer and her work then perhaps he could have offered to donate the money himself if the Israeli Embassy withdrew their donation. Ken looks principled and puts his money where is mouth is, Tali gets free publicity and the Israeli embassy get to keep 300 quid... Instead Loach looks like Fidel Castro, Tali looks like a silly girl, the Israelis look like evil Zionists and Gary Sinyor looks like a man grabbing some free publicity off an old award everyone had forgotten about.
This quote gives the reader the impression that Ken Loach has stated that all the citizens of Isreal are "warmongers and racists". I very much doubt you would find Ken putting forward such a crude view. If he has tell us where?
It may be well and good that some Israeli's like Ken but like a lot of us, we are no longer remaining silent at the Israeli criminal atrocity committed in Gaza.
And maybe if a few more "Ken's" stood up to be counted, then maybe, just maybe Israel might get the hint that the world is really not happy with its actions right now.
The problem is, Israeli's will always try and turn any criticism or outcry into an anti-Jewish circus and there is little doubt that out there Ken Loach is being lambasted as the latest in a long list of Jew-haters... Its nothing whatsoever to do with religion, people are just disgusted at the way the government of Israel behaves to its fellow man..
No doubt this will be hijacked at some point by the usual mob Yadda Yadda evil Hamas and its rockets blah blah blah Ignore the thousands of innocent people Israel kills Blah...
One of my very good friends from University is a Jew. I find this sudden wave of anti-Semitic prejudice shocking, damning and disgraceful.
A comment on the little note below; to quote:
"how does Israel finds time to pay for people to be sent to film premiers,
when it is so busy grabbing land and destroying lives.
amazing story "
This makes me very angry indeed. I don't think you have the first idea about the situation really, whoever you are. The other day I saw a banner saying '1000 Palestinians dead, 10 Israeli dead - where is the justice?' This made me sick to my very stomach. All of a sudden we are weighing the rightness or wrongness of a situation on body count? Your comment hear has brought the same feeling back to my gut, and I resent you for it. Such a throw away comment, on such a delicate and serious problem. Better things could be said on the subject, things with a little more depth and less undeserved unintelligent arrogance.
(I would like to remind readers that Hamas, actually want to wipe our Israel - they want to get rid of ALL Jews. How can anybody support a belief system such as this? Well it's just so cool now to be left wing now isn't it. Anything even remotely in it's favour, goes. Right?)
So, Anti war? Or a sudden re-development of anti-Semitism?..sadly I'm beginning to think it the latter.
One of my very good friends from University is a Jew. I find this sudden wave of anti-Semitic prejudice shocking, damning and disgraceful.
A comment on the little note below; to quote:
"how does Israel finds time to pay for people to be sent to film premiers,
when it is so busy grabbing land and destroying lives.
amazing story "
This makes me very angry indeed. I don't think you have the first idea about the situation really, whoever you are. The other day I saw a banner saying '1000 Palestinians dead, 10 Israeli dead - where is the justice?' This made me sick to my very stomach. All of a sudden we are weighing the rightness or wrongness of a situation on body count? Your comment hear has brought the same feeling back to my gut, and I resent you for it. Such a throw away comment, on such a delicate and serious problem. Better things could be said on the subject, things with a little more depth and less undeserved unintelligent arrogance.
(I would like to remind readers that Hamas, actually want to wipe our Israel - they want to get rid of ALL Jews. How can anybody support a belief system such as this? Well it's just so cool now to be left wing now isn't it. Anything in it's favour, goes. Right?)
So, Anti war? Or a sudden redevelopment of anti-Semitism..sadly I'm beginning to think it the latter.