Belgian film festival cuts collaboration with Israeli production companies

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Belgium's Film Fest Gent announced it will no longer collaborate with Israeli film companies or institutions that are linked to the state and explicitly endorse its policies, local media reported Thursday.

General Director Marijke Vandebuerie said the decision was made ahead of the festival’s 52nd edition, according to Belga news agency.

"The 52nd edition of the festival is set against the backdrop of the genocide in Palestine. There is an international statement by filmmakers of Palestine that we have endorsed and in which we commit not to cooperate with Israeli organizations involved in genocide and apartheid towards the Palestinian civilian population," she explained.

The festival stressed that the measure will apply to institutions with ties to the Israeli state but not to individual filmmakers.

She described the move as both a protest and an expression of frustration. "We are obviously doing it out of protest, because we disagree with this aggression, but also out of impotence. Because it goes on and on," she said.

The announcement came weeks after the Ghent Festival of Flanders canceled a concert by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani and the Munich Philharmonic.

The Israeli army has killed more than 65,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.