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NEW YORK: A film by an Israeli filmmaker was pulled from an Oslo film festival on Thursday because it dealt with Israeli subject matter, but did not address the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the sufferings inflicted by Israel.
In an apologetic email received on Aug 10 a filmmaker in Tel Aviv, Roy Zafrani, learned that his short documentary, “The Other Dreamers”, had been rejected by the Human Rights Human Wrongs festival, which focuses on political documentaries, the New York Times reported.
“We support the academic and cultural boycott of Israel,” wrote Ketil Magnussen, founder of the festival’s parent organisation, the Oslo Documentary Cinema. He added that unless Mr. Zafrani’s films were about the illegal occupation, the blockade of Gaza or discrimination against Palestinians they would not be shown, it was reported.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2015
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Comments (59) Closed
Aug 21, 2015 06:58am
Commendable gesture indeed that shows humane nature of Norwegians!
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Aug 21, 2015 10:46am
Reminds me of book buring in 1930s Germany.
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Aug 21, 2015 11:01am
"Daesh" ask for the head of the film festival and Ketil pulled the film. He is one smart Norseman and knows he has but one head to give.
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Aug 21, 2015 11:41am
Excellent decision!
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Aug 21, 2015 11:44am
Oy vey, It was written
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Aug 21, 2015 12:08pm
The 'occupation' is not illegal. The 1967 Six Day War was one of self-defence for Israel and therefore Israel can retain the land taken in self-defence. The stand taken by these people who cry foul at censorship when applied to them, but support terrorists like Hamas, and Hizbollah is nothing but hypocrisy. Israel is a democracy, but the organizations these people identify with suppress and kill anyone who disagrees with them. The world has gone crazy or is it just plain old antisemitism? Maybe both!
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Aug 21, 2015 12:13pm
Good decision Norway, hope that the unawareness is only found in the current leaders of Israel and not in the Jewish people.
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Aug 21, 2015 01:08pm
at least west taken step
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Aug 21, 2015 04:04pm
Wow! Good work! I have a profound respect for Norway! Thank you for bringing attention to the Genocide of Palestinians!
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Aug 21, 2015 04:08pm
amazing and brave stance by the festival organisers. There is some humanity and truth left.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:28pm
European antisemitism is alive and well.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:32pm
Norwegians are good, educated and peaceful people.
Regards
Proud Norwegian of Pakistani origin.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:32pm
Wasn't pulled, was pushed. Europe always was and still is antisemetic!
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Aug 21, 2015 04:35pm
@lloyd Hitler burned books because they propounded things that conflicted with his political ideology, not because their authors were raining phosphorus bombs down on innocent and defenseless women and children.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:36pm
What a shame. Just because Israelis are stronger than their opponents their acts are acts of oppression ? May be or may be not. But that doesn't mean Israeli movies shouldn't be screened. World shouldn't forget what Jews had to bear in second world war. And their athletes slaughtered in Munich Olympics in 1972. World is not flat it never was.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:53pm
So much for free speech. If you don't agree with our political views, we will limit your free speech.
The issue of allowing free speech and public debate is a much more important issue than one particular political issue. This is censorship pure and simple, based on the personal views of those running the festival.
For those who agree with their decision: keep in mind that next time they may decide to boycott someone that you support.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:53pm
@Akhand Bharat - So, you think good natured peaceful Norwegians have no sense of justice and wrongdoing but you do? Can anyone believe that Akhand?
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Aug 21, 2015 04:59pm
Israeli has set up an aprtheid system in occupied territories which must be dismantled.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:01pm
Christians hate for Jews is more open now.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:03pm
@dacite, WRONG. Please do not confuse "Opposing Israeli policies" with "Anti-semetism".
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Aug 21, 2015 05:06pm
@Akhand Bharat, Come out of Bharat and learn about Israeli crimes. All those who commit crimes and think they are very strong, then you need to read history and find out what happened to them. Israel and India will face the music of history.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:22pm
@JoR : All jews are not semites and all semites are not jews.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:24pm
kudos
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Aug 21, 2015 05:59pm
May God bless the ones who made this noble gesture.
Civilized protest must be felt to the core.
Its about humanity afterall.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:20pm
@ LLOYD , how many Palestinians took part in the book burning in Germany in the 1930's and how old were you then at that time, did you actually witness that ??
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Aug 21, 2015 06:27pm
Oslo should include Indian occupied Kashmir in banning Indian documentaries as well.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:29pm
I hope human right activists realize that jew-hatred did not start with Israel or its occupation; in fact, it has 1400 years of history.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:34pm
@JoR - get real and learn how to see reality. There are great number of Israelies who are sick and tired of right wing Jewish dominance and unjust policies. But your mind may not be developed to see that.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:39pm
A rare commendable gesture by Norway. Hats off to you.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:42pm
More countries need to take these kinds of steps. Even citizens need to stand up to do right things.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:54pm
Thank you Norway.
Now the pull 'The Settlement' out of the ME.
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Aug 21, 2015 06:54pm
@lloyd So you are annoyed with the events that had happened before you actually born whereas, you have no compassion with the horrific events happening in front of you by a force who called themselves champions of Democracy?
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Aug 21, 2015 07:05pm
@Akhand Bharat: "... Just because Israelis are stronger than their opponents their acts are acts of oppression ? "
By your definition, British should have every right to suppress any independence movement across Indian sub-continent.
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Aug 21, 2015 07:13pm
well done and commendable
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Aug 21, 2015 07:25pm
@Akhand Bharat just like your illegitimate occupation of Kashmirs. I can see how you can get incensed by this. you are both rotten eggs of the same basket.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:01pm
All Scandinavian countries including Norway have deported thousands of Muslims asylum seekers from their country as part of their anti-terror, crime prevention and anti-fundamentalism stand.
This little gesture of pulling out Israel from film festival is not a pro-muslim stand.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:02pm
Its purely a case of Anti Semitism. Anti Semitism is at least 2000 years. I would like to assure my Jewish friends not to take this rejection seriously as Norway with a population of 5.05 million does not matter match in the world. You have the unflinching support of US, the world's strongest country with 35 crores people, India the world's largest democracy and emerging superpower with 1.25 billion people, China another emerging super power with 1.3 billion people. Ultimately almost 3 billion people in the world support you. Why to care of countries whose population is lesser than even a Tier 2 city of India or China.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:10pm
@Henry Tobias
There is no smoke without fire. The very existence of the word antisemitism indicates that there is something fishy in the affairs of the group of people who call them semetics. What kind of sane law allows Israel to demolish houses of Palestinian citizens while they are sleeping inside. This is just one of the numerous war crimes Israel has been executing since its inception. Only if the people of Israel had an awareness that they are going to be answerable to their creator one day.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:14pm
@Sandeep Singh - It is the other way actually. Read the history of Mel Gibson's movie "The passion of the Christ" and you will know how the Jewish entities in the Hollywood sidelined him after that. This is called hatred.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:23pm
@Sourabh
Dreaming.
Unconditional support for Israel is confined to the US at the government level and now for the last few years, Canada.
Rest of the world does not care.
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Aug 21, 2015 08:24pm
@Akhand Bharat
Open your mind, look around, they have imprisoned (within Gaza and the West Bank limits) millions of Palestinians, depriving them of basic needs and torturing them with their aggressive, oppressive policies. I wish, they have thought of their torture under Hitler rule for a second. Do not worry, history repeats itself.
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Aug 21, 2015 09:44pm
At least someone has the guts to speak the truth....
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Aug 21, 2015 09:51pm
clap clap clap!!! There's hope in this world :)
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Aug 21, 2015 09:59pm
An awesome and commendable decision.
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Aug 21, 2015 10:03pm
Good I am proud of my country Norway - the country of Nobel Peace Price lives up to her responsibilities!
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Aug 21, 2015 10:24pm
@Nayak Read thr history. Jews prospered under Muslims rule.
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Aug 21, 2015 10:32pm
Belated reaction of human suffering !! yet it's worthwhile.
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Aug 21, 2015 10:52pm
Excellent decision which is also a big wake-up call for the "movers and shakers" in Washington, D.C. to show the courage and fortitude to call a spade a spade.
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Aug 22, 2015 12:35am
Bravo Norway and well done Mr Magnussen .
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Aug 22, 2015 12:48am
@Sandeep Singh ..... Sir not every white person is not a Christian. Do you know majority of Norway is atheist now.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:04am
Shameless Israel does not care for such skirmishes so long powerful Jewish lobby in America is on its back.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:18am
Commendable decision Norway's Human Rights Human Wrongs festival to reject this propaganda film by an Israeli trying to brainwash festival goers. Many liberal American Jews are against Israel's draconian, inhumanely brutal actions against Palestinians.
Medea Benjamin, Amy Goodman, and Norman Finkelstein are three American Jews who adamantly and vocally criticize Israeli's barbaric
actions against Palestinians. Israel has only two allies in the entire world,
the USA govt. and India, most Americans are not happy with their precious tax dollars going to Israel which it uses to mass murder innocent Palestinian men, women and children.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:24am
Israel is brain child of England supported by Allied powers after 1914 world war.( To be) Israelis took advantage of hospitality of Palestinian who starts pouring with intention to occupy. They disturbed peace of the country and were involved in murders and sabotage. Western powers granted them a portion of Palestine which they continue to expand through trechourus policies and wars. Which is a crime/ occupying a country through war or fight to liberate country? It has been proved that 1967 war was master minded by Israel to carry out expansion. UNO has condemned it as aggression.
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Aug 22, 2015 05:03am
Well done Norway. This will give courage to other countries to stand up for truth and justice in this world.
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Aug 22, 2015 05:28am
Saw an excellent documentary on youtube titled SIX DAYS IN JUNE. It explains how the illegal occupation began.
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Aug 22, 2015 05:41am
@Raja Ranjit Singh Agreed it is not pro Muslim stand, but why are all the Israelis and Indian complaining about it .
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Aug 22, 2015 06:00am
@Farooq Google Palestinian involvement in WWII
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Aug 22, 2015 06:07am
@HENRY TOBIAS, do have any reference that make it legal to occupy land by your logic? Also what about the land taken after 1967? The occupation is still going on? What kind of defense you need against people who fight with barely any thing. They kill 1 you kill 100. Are all those 100 murderers? Opposing aggression doesn't mean antisemitism. Also yes any world has gone crazy. whether some one killing for no reason or some one killing hundreds to avenge couple and keep occupying the land.
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Aug 24, 2015 07:44pm
A film festival, is supposed to judge the quality of a film, not the country the film originates from, their politics. Is the festival restricting the films of any other nation. In a world where there are such incomprehensible atrocities and genocides, this founder picks on a peaceful country, whose only offenses are self-defense. Nothing mysterious here.. just good old deeply rooted anti-semtisim. Ketil Magnussen, the founder only proves the ilegitimacy of his censored festival. Check his facebook page, and you will see CLEAR Jewish hatred! Boycott his hate billed festival!
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