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November 12, 9:30am EST, 3:30pm CET, 4:30pm Palestine, 8pm Delhi
Register in advance for the webinar or join via the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s Facebook page.
More than 150 filmmakers committed to queer and trans liberation have launched Queer Cinema for Palestine.
Responding to calls from Palestinian queers, the filmmakers pledged not to participate in TLVFest, the Israeli government-sponsored LGBT film festival, until Israel ends its oppression of Palestinians, queer and non-queer alike.
It exemplifies the growing awareness of our interconnected struggles to liberate all oppressed peoples and communities.
On the opening night of TLVFest, join us instead for a discussion with queer filmmakers on the importance of this pledge, how Israel's far-right government uses LGBTQIA+ rights to pinkwash its violations of Palestinian rights, and the role boycotts have played in liberation struggles.
Ghadir Shafie is the co-founder and director of Aswat - Palestinian Feminist Center for Sexual and Gender Freedoms. She is a feminist activist who dedicates her work and activism to advancing gender justice, advocating for sexual and gender freedoms, and promoting a greater understanding of—and commitment to—the issue of Palestine among global queers. Aswat organizes the Kooz Film Festival as part of its Art, Resistance, and Social Change program.
Elle Flanders is a filmmaker and photographer based in Toronto. She was raised in Canada and Israel, has an education in Critical Theory and Visual Arts, and is an alumnus of the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. Flanders' work has been screened and exhibited worldwide.
John Greyson is a filmmaker, video artist, writer, activist, and educator whose productions have won accolades at festivals worldwide. He is the recipient of the 2000 Toronto Arts Award for film/video and the 2007 Bell Award in Video Art. In 2009, he withdrew his film Fig Trees from TLVFest, stating, " To not take this stand is unthinkable, impossible.”
Shohini Ghosh is a professor at the AJK Mass Communication Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, in New Delhi. She is the director of Tales of the Nightfairies (2002), a film about the sex workers' rights movement in Calcutta, and the author of Fire: A Queer Classic (2010). She is a co-founder member of Mediastorm Collective, India’s first all-women documentary production collective.
Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier Scholar, visual artist, community activist, researcher, youth advocate, and educator. For 12 years, he Coordinated the Art Gallery of Ontario Youth Program. Syrus is currently a facilitator/designer for the Cultural Leaders Lab (Toronto Arts Council & The Banff Centre). He is the inaugural artist-in-residence for Daniels Spectrum (2016/2017). Syrus is also a core team member of Black Lives Matter Toronto.