Israel Film Festival in Mumbai cancelled after pro-Palestinian online campaign

The National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai, operational under the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), amidst a public outcry, has cancelled the Israel Film Festival, which was slated to take place this month.

The campaign was organised by the India Palestine Solidarity Forum, and aimed to shed light on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

The online campaign procured over a thousand signatures asserting the motion.

The statement reportedly read, “This screening by the NFDC is shamefully being held at a time, when the entire world is witness to Israeli war crimes, the ongoing Holocaust and the genocide in Gaza, and across all of Palestine.”

Personalities from Indian cinema, including actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah, alongside documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan signed the motion.

Moreover, author Tushar Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson), freedom fighter Dr Gunvantrai Parikh, and media personality and social worker Javed Anand were among the petitioners who joined this online campaign and wrote to the NFDC.

NMIC had scheduled this event to take place on Aug 21 and 22.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry last week stated that more than 40,000 people have been killed, with most of them being women and children, in the havoc inflicted upon its territory by Israel since October 7, 2023.

It added that the region has also recorded more than 90,000 injuries.

Notably, Israeli media reported in April that the country’s major film festivals have faced pro-Palestinian resistance across the globe.