LONDON: A group of nearly 70 Palestinian filmmakers has issued an open letter accusing Hollywood of “inhumanity and racism” and urging international film professionals to speak out against the portrayal of Palestinians in the Western entertainment industry.
Published in the US outlet Variety, the letter was signed by prominent figures including two-time Oscar nominee Hany Abu-Assad, director Elia Suleiman of “Divine Intervention” and “It Must Be Heaven,” and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Farah Nabulsi, known for her upcoming feature “The Teacher.”
The letter read: “We well understand the power of image and cinema, and for far too long we have been outraged at the inhumanity and racism shown by some in the western entertainment industry towards our people, even during this most difficult of times.”
The filmmakers emphasized the prevalence of what they describe as “anti-Palestinian and generally anti-Arab racist propaganda” in Western media, calling it “dehumanizing” and a direct threat to their existence as Palestinians.
They highlighted the critical historical moment for their community and called on their international colleagues to “do everything humanly possible to stop and end complicity with this unspeakable horror.”
The letter concluded: “This has to stop. Now.”
The filmmakers’ appeal comes in the wake of recent allegations against Bisan Owda, the director of the documentary “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive.”
Owda has been accused by the Jewish non-profit organization Creative Community for Peace of having ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US and EU-designated terrorist organization.
The organization had requested that Owda’s Emmy nomination be rescinded, but the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Emmys, refused, stating that it was “unable to corroborate” the claims or find any evidence of Owda’s active involvement with the PFLP.
The letter thanked Natas for “standing up to pressure,” adding: “Trying to censor Bisan’s voice is only the latest repressive attempt to deny Palestinians the right to reclaim our narrative, share our history, and in this case bring attention to the atrocities our people are facing in the hopes that we can bring an end to them.”
