They refuse to remain silent.Marrakesh festival participants condemn Israeli aggression | Current Affairs News

Al Jazeera reporter

Marrakech- He selected more than 25 directors, producers and actors of different nationalities, as well as participants Marrakech International Film Festival Breaking the silence on the genocide committed by the occupying forces in Gaza, announced the organization of a solidarity protest in the Red City on November 29, the anniversary of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, with the Moroccan Front for Palestine and the Opposition to Normalization.

The organizers of the movement call on filmmakers, producers, actors, organizers of cultural events and professionals in the field of film participating in the Marrakech International Film Festival to join the movement.

They also announced the organization of a gala on the same day together with the Moroccan initiative “Focus on Palestine” and the Palestinian Film Foundation, according to a statement obtained by Al Jazeera Network. The title is “Directors, producers and actors reject the Marrakech International Film Festival’s silence on what is happening in Palestine and declare their solidarity with the cause” as this evening offers actors in the field of culture and art One chance Morocco will meet to discuss how to effectively and strategically stand with the Palestinians.

“Support a just cause”

“The suspension will include artistic performances and poetry readings,” Youssef Abu Hassan, coordinator of the Marrakech branch of the Moroccan Front for Palestine and Anti-Normalization, told Al Jazeera, stressing that the suspension was taking place within a series of events. Vigils have been organized in more than 30 cities in Morocco, and he expects the standstill in Marrakech to be intense and massive, punctuated by… and messages to filmmakers participating in the Marrakech International Film Festival speech.

Abu Hassan noted that “messenger art must support all just causes, the most important of which is the Palestinian cause, which is undergoing dangerous events, through cleansing and extermination by the occupying forces.”

Hamid Atbato, a film researcher, emphasized to Al Jazeera that “the initiative is a testimony to history and a formula for establishing a real creative connection based on its place in the course of human history, since it gives cinema and the ability of film. Related to that is creating hope, strengthening the front.”

The researcher affirms that “cinema and all the relationships, demonstrations and forms of celebration associated with it would be meaningless without listening to the human needs of the surrounding environment and the entire human continent, whereas the mission of cinema should be to build and enrich.”

The researchers believe that “the aggression against Palestine should be acted upon in all venues, including the Marrakech Film Festival venue, and this also applies to other issues that are at the heart of our Moroccan existence.”

The city of Marrakech hosts vigils in solidarity with the Palestinian people organized by civil activists every Wednesday and Friday evening. Organizers of the Marrakech International Film Festival have also canceled key segments in solidarity with the Moroccan earthquake and its victims. War in Gaza, including red carpet segments and participation in the film Goodbye Tiberias, which documented the suffering of Palestinians in exile and exile.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, film critic Mustafa Alwani believed that these positions were sufficient to express Moroccan solidarity with the Palestinian cause and stressed that he would personally carry the Palestinian flag while paying tribute to Moroccan director Faouqi Bensaidi pay tribute. in recognition of his full support for this humanitarian cause.

Statement of refusal to remain silent

Returning to the same statement, the signing filmmakers also expressed their “firm support for the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice and liberation” and declared that they do not accept the festival’s silence on Israel’s genocide against the besieged Palestinians in Gaza .

The statement stressed that around the world, anyone who publicly denounces Israel’s crimes is intimidated, harassed and criminalized, with the situation taking a bigger turn each time. Despite this, there are many artistic and cultural institutions, as well as many artists and cultural actors, who have taken a clear stand, mainly for justice.

The signatories stressed that their concerns about this silence extend to other film festivals in the region, including the Red Sea International Film Festival, which has taken a similarly silent stance.

The signatories say that in the context of global silencing and erasure, their primary role is to support Palestinian filmmakers who decide to screen their films in a place where it is more necessary than ever to recognize their voices, narratives and images And before presenting their film projects, whichever one of them chooses to travel to Marrakech will be on a mission to put Palestine at the forefront.

They also call on all those who submit films or film projects to expose Palestine, break the silence of the festival at the level of official communication, and warn that despite the seriousness and sensitivity of the situation, new doors of change are opening, which makes them fully ready to contribute to Serves the Palestinian cause and denounces silence at a time when Palestinian journalists and filmmakers are increasingly targeted by the Israeli occupying forces.

The signatories also expressed their support through the same statement to those who decide to withdraw their films in protest against the silence of any film festival.

Like many Palestinians and all people of conscience around the world, the signatories demand an immediate end to the forced displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people, call for an end to Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies, an end to the siege of Gaza, and guarantees for all Palestinian refugees Right of return.