Canada Palestine Support Network - Winnipeg

Press Conference Statement Launching the Canada Palestine Film Festival

The following statement was presented to the media by CanPalNet members Paul Burrows and Maeghan Dewar, Thursday, September 23, 2004

Good afternoon.   On behalf of the Canada Palestine Support Network which is acting as curator, we welcome you here today to launch the Canada Palestine Film Festival: Images of Occupation & Resistance in Israel-Palestine.   This festival is the first of its kind in Winnipeg.   And it is a rare opportunity for Winnipeggers to see films by both Palestinian and Israeli film-makers which show another side to the conflict – the human consequences of an illegal, completely immoral military occupation, as well as ongoing colonization, dispossession, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.  

We are fortunate to be able to screen such a collection of films at our local Cinematheque.   Many of these films have been shown at other festivals, such as Cannes and the Human Rights Watch international film festival, as well as in other cities, from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to Chicago and New York.  We are fortunate because such films rarely make it to Canada, let alone Winnipeg.   In no case has the screening of these films in other cities promoted “hatred” or led to violence.   What they have fostered is much-needed reflection and debate about one of the world's most protracted conflicts.

Taken as a whole, we feel that the 12 films in this festival correct an existing imbalance in the mainstream media – an imbalance which gives disproportionate weight to Israeli government spokespersons and supporters, who view any and all criticism of the Israeli State, and any criticism of its actual behavior, as “hateful,” or an “incitement to violence,” or as an example of “anti-Semitism.”   In correcting this imbalance, the films do not in any way dismiss or excuse the tragic loss of civilian life caused by suicide bombing.   If there is anything that promotes violence, it is granting Israel – or any other State – an a priori and blanket immunity to criticism when their military engages in actions documented and condemned by the United Nations, the international community, and even Israeli journalists and academics; when the military engages in torture or collective punishment, when it bombs residential neighborhoods, when it carries out extra-judicial assassinations, when it shoots and kills journalists such as James Miller, UN officials like Iain Hook, non-violent protesters like Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall, Palestinian students on their way to class such as Kamleh al-Shuli, or when it buries pregnant mothers like Nuha Sweidan in their own homes in order to make room for a monstrous wall that has been condemned by the world community, not to mention the International Court of Justice in the Hague, and the UN General Assembly.

Like most people, we feel that human rights is a matter of the public domain.   It is most certainly NOT “owned” by any single ethnic or religious community, nor is it restricted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.   Indeed, it is going on right here at home in Canada, where there is an ongoing colonial process and genocide, which shames every one of us as citizens of this country.   It is our very humanity that compels us to speak out about human rights violations and war crimes.   We feel strongly that the films featured in the Canada Palestine Film Festival are rooted in a long and important humanitarian tradition.

We also feel that the content of the films speaks for itself, but would like to say a few words of introduction before opening the floor up to questions.   First, these films allow us to hear dissident Israeli Jewish voices which are rarely given attention in North America, voices such as Nurit Peled in the film “The Bombing,” an Israeli mother who lost her own daughter to a suicide attack in 1997, and who now speaks out strongly against Israel's military occupation.   We ask you, “How does a mother grappling with such loss promote ‘hatred' or ‘violence'?”

Second, the festival allows Palestinian film-makers to demonstrate not only their own artistic and aesthetic creativity, but also creates a forum for their unique and passionate array of perspectives on the tragic fate of their people and culture.   Palestinians are no less entitled to cultural, artistic, and political expression than any other people on the planet.

Third, the festival allows Winnipeggers a rare opportunity to see images of daily life in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.   Many of the members of the Canada Palestine Support Network have had the privilege to visit both Israel and the Occupied Territories, to meet ordinary people from both societies who seek a meaningful peace, and to see for themselves a small glimpse of what day-to-day life is like for the majority of Palestinians.   Now Winnipeggers and others across Canada can hear ordinary Palestinians – students, farmers, doctors, artists, and many others – speak for themselves, and to see first-hand the humanity of a people falsely, and viciously stereotyped and equated with “terrorism.”   We can hear the voices of university students and faculty, unable to get to school due to military checkpoints in the film “A Caged Bird's Song.”   We can follow the day-to-day activities of teenage girls living in refugee camps in Lebanon and the West Bank in the film “Frontiers of Dreams and Fears.”   And we can see in graphic detail the brutality with which the Israeli military deals with non-violent protest in films such as “The Killing Zone” and “Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli Army.”   We feel that such perspectives MUST be heard before any one can claim to understand the nature of Israel's military occupation.

In conclusion, we wanted to note that the festival inadvertently coincides with Yom Kippur, thus preventing many from the Jewish community, including many individuals who CanPalNet has worked with over the years, from attending the first two days.   Nobody is more disappointed by this oversight than us, and we would have re-scheduled the dates of the festival had it been brought to our attention earlier.   The admission price is also a barrier to people on low income.   We had hoped that with greater fund-raising and donations we could eliminate this barrier by offering subsidized or complimentary tickets to those who cannot afford them.   We apologize to these two communities, for our intention has always been to eliminate significant barriers to participation, not contribute to them.   The festival was originally planned to coincide with the anniversary of the second intifada (“uprising”), as well as to fit Cinematheque's own schedule and box office norms.   We hope to compensate for these barriers by arranging a separate screening for those who cannot attend for any reason between September 24th and 26th.   Two films will be re-shown at Mondragón Bookstore & Coffee House at 91 Albert Street on this coming Tuesday evening at 7pm, free of charge, to allow anyone unable to attend to participate.   This extra screening will be followed by a moderated discussion called “Difficult Dialogues: Seeing and Speaking about Occupation & Resistance,” which will give people of all perspectives a chance to raise concerns and express feelings about the content of the film festival.     

It is our firm belief that meaningful peace in Israel-Palestine will only come with meaningful justice, and justice requires meaningful self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians.   We feel that the films we have selected for screening at Cinematheque will help promote a dialogue necessary for understanding the complex history and context of this terrible conflict.   We understand that others may not share our political perspective, but there is no reason why this dialogue cannot be civil and respectful.   The Manitoba Film Classification Board has approved every one of these 12 films as suitable viewing for anyone over 14 years of age.   Any insinuation that the films are “hateful” or might promote violence is both uninformed and inflammatory.   We encourage Winnipeggers to come out and judge the content for themselves.   And we feel that only by broadening the parameters of discussion and debate, and giving people a chance to hear the silenced and marginal voices in both Palestinian and Israeli society, can there ever be a truly just resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.   Thank you for joining us here today.