BDS Tunisia calls on artists to boycott Marrakech International Film Festival over 'silence on Gaza'

Tunisia’s boycott movement against normalisation with Israel, a partner of the international BDS movement, is calling on artists and creators to boycott the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) in Morocco over its silence on the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The FIFM kicked off on Friday, with a low-key night and a limited number of international journalists and the usual French and local crews.

It has been an unusual time in Morocco, with the devastating September earthquake and public anger over Israel's indiscriminate war on Gaza, which killed 15,000 people, most of them women and children, in the space of a few short weeks.

Thousands of people across North Africa continue to rally every week in solidarity with Palestinians.

"We call on Tunisian filmmakers to join the Filmmakers Against Silence initiative, withdraw their works, and boycott the festivals… that ignored our appeals to take a stand and call for a ceasefire [in Gaza]," read a statement shared by BDS Tunisia over the weekend.

A few kilometres away from the areas hit by the earthquake, the red carpet for the festival was tucked away in a side room of the Palais des Congrès near Marrakech's Mövenpick Hotel, where most of the filmmakers are staying. 

The festival, which runs until 2 December, started with American actress Jessica Chastain, this year’s president of the jury, addressing the "chattered world situation" and lashing out at politicians' shortcomings.

Chastain did not comment further on the political situation in the MENA region and called instead on people to “pick a brush or an instrument” and make art.

On the sidelines, local media tried to ask Chastain about her stance on the ongoing war in Gaza only for a press attaché to shut down the conversation. "We are here only to discuss art and cinema," they said.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who was presented with this year’s honorary Étoile d’Or in FIFM, answered "not today" when he was asked to speak about the war in Gaza.

Other attendees were also filmed dodging questions about the war in Gaza or walking away silently.

🔴 Question du Desk:

Au festival international du film de Marrakech, Le Desk est parti à la rencontre des artistes, acteurs, réalisateurs et producteurs invités à l’évènement pour avoir leur sentiment sur la guerre à Gaza. Ils botteront en touche, alors que l’organisation a reçu… pic.twitter.com/jchxZKBrfL

— Le Desk (@LeDesk_ma) November 27, 2023

Local Francophone media Le Desk said it was banned from continuing the red carpet interviews after their journalists asked several attendees about Gaza and "the political situation in the Middle East".

The organising team of the FIFM has reportedly instructed media to keep the coverage "exclusively about art and cinema" following a request from the festival jury, according to Le Desk.

The festival management had not responded to The New Arab's requests for comment by the time of publication.

Jordan-based filmmaker Mais Drawazeh, Tunisian artist Fatma Cherif, and over 30 artists from the MENA region have signed the 'Filmmakers Against Silence' petition and left their seats empty at the festival in protest at the festival's "apolitical" stance.

The signatories also vowed to boycott the Red Sea film festival in Saudi Arabia, due to start this week, after "it failed to even acknowledge the atrocities to which the people of Palestine have been subjected to ". 

"Do we really want to tie our projects and films to circles that ignore our causes, buy our neutrality, or stifle and manipulate our voices? Ignoring these questions today is tantamount to turning a blind eye to this crime against humanity as it unfolds against our Palestinian people,” read a petition signed by over 450 people as of Monday.