Updated: May 8, 2007
WARNING! Greenhouse, an Israeli-managed film fund, looks to Jordan
The AFC has received news that an Israeli-based film fund, Greenhouse, is attempting to establish contact with Jordanian filmmakers.
In solidarity with Palestinian filmmakers and in support of their cultural independence, we call on all Jordanians of conscience to respect the boycott.
Additionally, we sincerely question the objectivity and the integrity of a film fund based in a country that has just invaded its northern neighbor, Lebanon, killing hundreds of innocents, destroying much of Lebanon's civilian infrastructure, and leaving a legacy of cluster bombs that will continue to maim and kill innocents for years to come. All the while, Israel continues to impose a system of apartheid, as former US president Jimmy Carter also calls it, on the Palestinian people who have to endure a bloody Israeli military occupation with no end in sight.
EU Euromed Audiovisual project, the sponsoring organization of Greenhouse, is an active and positive player in supporting various cultural initiatives that have benefited scores of Arab filmmakers. But we consider the Israel-based Greenhouse Film Fund to be the most unfortunate exception to this rule.
Read more about Greenhouse below.
Palestinian Filmmakers Question EU Audiovisual GrantDate posted: March 15, 2006
By Palestine Media Centre
Ramallah -- Forty Palestinian filmmakers, including the 2006 Golden Globe winner Hani Abu Assad and 2002 Cannes Festival Jury Prize winner Elia Suleiman, signed a letter to the EU Euromed Audiovisual program questioning the shortlisting of an Israeli-led project. Despite serious indicators of mismanagement, and lack of legitimacy raised about the project, entitled Greenhouse, the Europe Aid office in Brussels decided to go ahead and grant it 1.5 million Euros. www.ghfilmcentre.org
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=9770&CategoryId=2
'Palestinian film' through an Israeli lens
Jim Quilty | The Daily Star | April 25, 2006
BEIRUT: In late 2005, Palestine's arts community learned that a Palestinian Authority NGO called the Ramallah Film Institute (RFI) had applied to participate in a documentary film development project called Greenhouse.
Sponsored by EuroMed's Audiovisual II Program, Greenhouse would include Spanish, Czech and Turkish partners. RFI's "core partner" was Israel's New Foundation for Cinema and Television (NFCT). The news sent shockwaves through Palestine's cultural community.
http://www.pacbi.org/boycott_news_more.php?id=170_0_1_0_C
# # #