Jerusalem Film Festival founder urges Palestinian filmmakers to join
Jerusalem Film Festival founder Roni Mahadav-Levin has issued an open letter urging Palestinian filmmakers to take part in next year's edition, arguing boycotts silence discourse and empower hardliners. He said this year's audiences united Jews and Arabs, secular and religious viewers, around shared stories on screen.
The appeal, reported by Variety, comes as the 43rd Jerusalem Film Festival wrapped Sunday after running from July 9 to July 19. Mahadav-Levin, executive director of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the festival, framed participation as a way to keep cultural conversation open under Israel's hardline government and after years of regional conflict.
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Key Takeaways
- Roni Mahadav-Levin urged Palestinian filmmakers to reach audiences in Jerusalem's cinema halls next year.
- He described this year's crowds as diverse: Jews and Arabs, secular and religious, locals and internationals.
- Palestinian and Arab-Israeli filmmakers already took part; Ehab Elias Salami won best acting, and a Palestinian shorts package screened.
- Mahadav-Levin argued boycotts and cultural withdrawal empower hardliners rather than punish them.
- He linked the moment to Israeli elections expected in about three months.
What did the Jerusalem Film Festival founder say in his open letter?
Mahadav-Levin wrote that artists worldwide, and Palestinian filmmakers in particular, should "grab the opportunity to reach the public in our cinema halls." He stressed that hosting international guests was not an endorsement of government policy, but an affirmation of culture, dialogue, and artistic exchange.
Reflecting on the just-ended edition, he said audiences were "not a monolith." For a few hours, viewers were united by shared narratives on screen, then debated uncomfortable truths or shared empathy in the lobby—moments he called building blocks of a resilient society.
Why does the founder say boycotts miss the mark?
"Boycotts and cultural withdrawal do not punish the hardliners; they empower them," Mahadav-Levin wrote. In his view, censors who want to shut down art and boycotters who block audiences from seeing it share a common interest: silencing discourse and keeping people divided.
Blocking a film from certain audiences, he argued, does the censors' work for them. With Israelis heading to the polls in roughly three months, he called retreat into "ideological purism" counterproductive in the place that most needs those voices.
Who already took part in this year's Jerusalem Film Festival?
Despite ongoing calls to boycott Israeli-linked film institutions, a number of Palestinian and Arab-Israeli filmmakers participated. Palestinian actor Ehab Elias Salami, appearing in Assaf Machnes's feature "Where To?," won the festival's award for best acting performance.
The program also screened "All That Remains," a compilation of short films by six Palestinian filmmakers curated by Fadi Far. The festival opened with Moshe Rosenthal's "Tell Me Everything" and hosted more than thirty international industry guests.
Mahadav-Levin said he hopes more Palestinian filmmakers will join next year, urging them to let art confront, challenge, and inspire audiences who need to engage with their perspectives now.