New York Film Festival: Boycott & Counter-Festival
The New York Counter Film Festival (NYCFF) is taking place concurrently with the official New York Film Festival, serving as a protest against Film at Lincoln Center's (FLC) ties to pro-Israel donors and companies.
Over a dozen cultural organizations and activist groups, including cinemóvil, People’s Forum, Millennium Film Workshop, and Mayday Space, are organizing the NYCFF.
They have issued a list of demands, urging FLC to release a public statement supporting a ceasefire in Palestine and a weapons embargo. They are also demanding that Lincoln Center cut ties with entities such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the New York Times, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, and Citigroup.
The NYCFF kicked off with a screening of “The Case Against Lincoln Center” (1968) and will continue with the world premiere of “Invisible Worm” by Palestinian filmmaker Rosalind Nashashibi. The event will also feature the US premiere of “Animalia Paradoxa” directed by Niles Atallah, who previously withdrew from the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam in protest of alleged silencing of pro-Palestine voices.
At least 80 participants and film workers have signed on to two open letters urging FLC to end its partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, which the filmmakers claim has funded training programs for mayors in illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank.
The controversy has led to a heated debate surrounding the role of art institutions in political activism and the potential for cultural events to be used for political gain.
[Image]: A still from Jumana Manna's Wild Relatives (2017), which will be screened as part of the NYCFF.
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