On video: protest screening of a documentary film in the square of the Pardes Council Hana Karkur (Yoav Itiel)
The Rabinovich Foundation, one of the two largest film foundations in Israel, removed the "trust clause" from the conditions for supporting films.
This, after a protest by the senior filmmakers in Israel, who called for the fund to be boycotted, against the backdrop of threats by the Minister of Culture to suspend the clause on additional funds - and as a result of a negotiation process between the parties.
The section in question is based on an amendment to a law passed in 2011, which allows the denial of budgets on grounds that include, among other things, "an act of physical defacement or humiliation that harms the honor of the state flag or the state symbol."
In the background of the statements of the new Minister of Culture Miki Zohar, who upon taking office sought to exclude budgets from films "that damage the good name of the State of Israel" and provoked widespread criticism in the industry, many filmmakers signed a petition saying that they have no intention of signing any more clauses that place them in advance in the position of " immediate suspects".
In a declaration of opinion, which was shared by senior directors such as Ari Pullman, Hagai Levy, Yosef Sider, Michael Evid, Guy Nativ, Hadas Ben Aroya, Maor Zaguri, Julie Shalez and more, the directors called on their friends to refrain from submitting support requests to the Rabinovitch Fund.
"We are in a new reality. If we don't say 'no' now - we will miss the opportunity for change," it said.
"The Rabinovitch Foundation is the first and only foundation in Israel, which volunteered to include in its contracts a declaration of loyalty and requires everyone who communicates with it to publicly declare and pledge that he is an obedient citizen, as a condition for receiving support... We are not ready to be signed on a commitment not to violate the laws of the state in our works. No Because we want to break the law, but because we are not ready for officials to make people 'instant suspects', just because they might belong to a different political camp than their own."
"The dispute was resolved to everyone's satisfaction."
Hagai Levy (Photo: Barak Pachter)
Following the revelation of the opinion, a communication channel was created between the directors' union and the foundation, and at the end of the process it was decided to remove the section.
"After an authentic protest by many creators, we decided in the union to take over the management of the discourse with the Rabinovitch Foundation near us," she said to Walla!
The culture of Directors Union Chairman Limor Panchasov, who thanked the Foundation for its willingness to listen to the protest. Zakaria. I'm glad that we all found a way to understand each other, and first and foremost the creators who rightly feel that by asking us to sign such a loyalty clause, they are actually marking us as immediate suspects, and we are not. We in the union are happy to stand behind many creators, and are proud of our part during and at the positive end".
More in Walla!
"We will not be made immediate suspects": Israeli directors against the "loyalty requirement"
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The director Hagi Levy ("In Treatment, "Pictures of Married Life") thanked his partners in the protest on Facebook. "Following your joining and your broad support, the public management of the Rabinovitz Foundation decided today to withdraw the statement of obedience from its agreement, and replace it with clauses accepted by all film funds.
We would like to thank the chairman of the Directors' Union Limor Panhasov for his help in the negotiations, the chairman of the public management of the foundation Lior Shapira who agreed to the creators' request to protect their human and civil rights and promoted the solution, and the legal advisors of the foundation and the union who resolved the dispute to everyone's satisfaction ", Wrote.
"Most of all, we want to thank all of you, for your support and courage. We thank everyone who signed and supported, and ask everyone who missed the deadline to return and submit scripts to the fund. The creators in Israel, from the entire political spectrum and from all identities and sectors, will continue to present free, diverse, challenging works, comforting, funny or combative,
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Hagai Levi