Controversial documentary roils SF Jewish Film Festival
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| A film about the death of American activist Rachel Corrie is causing a stir at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which began Thursday. Photo courtesy the Rachel Corrie Foundation. |
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival opened its 29th season Thursday night amid controversy surrounding one of its 71 films, which has the Jewish community up in arms.
Simone Bitton’s film “Rachel” is a documentary about the controversial death of 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie in 2003. Corrie was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank when an Israeli army bulldozer crushed her during the demolition of Palestinian homes.
What kindled the criticism from the Jewish community was the invitation of Corrie’s mother, Cindy Corrie, to speak after the Saturday afternoon screening at the Castro Theatre.
Israel's Consul General Akiva Tor weighed in via e-mail that the Jewish Film Festival "made a serious error in judgment in inviting Mrs. Corrie to the festival.” Tor called Cindy Corrie a “propagandist.”
In response, festival board member Doug Okun wrote in a letter to film festival followers, “the intent was not to provide a political platform, but rather to have her respond to questions in open dialogue with the audience in order to deepen our understanding of the film.”
This is not the first time that Corrie's mother has been present at a screening. Both she and Corrie's father, Craig, were present at the film’s U.S. debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April.
New York, with a larger Jewish community, didn't react as strongly. In a similar question-and-answer session at the Tribeca Film Festival, “the presence of Corrie's parents no doubt stimulated the goodwill emanating from the audience,” the organizers said in a statement.
Festival issues apology
Peter Stein, the San Francisco festival’s executive director, issued a formal apology “for not fully considering how upsetting this program might be.” He said Michael Harris, founder of the grassroots advocacy group SF Voice for Israel, would appear at the "Rachel" screening. Thursday's editorial from J., a Bay Area weekly for Northern California, calls for an end to the bitterness and a show of support from the Jewish community.
“Threats to boycott the festival ultimately only hurt the Jewish community itself,” the editorial said. “The S.F. Jewish Film Festival remains a vital and important institution, and deserves continued support.”
Festival board president Shana Penn resigned Monday, citing “healthy differences on how to approach sensitive issues.” Penn will continue to serve on the board, although she had five months remaining in her two-year term as board president.
The film will have its Israeli debut at the Haifa International Film Festival in October, and has been screened at several international festivals, including Paris, Berlin and Buenos Aires.
San Francisco's festival, the largest of its kind in the world, runs from July 23 to Aug. 10 and screens at five venues around the Bay Area. “Rachel” screens at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Castro Theatre. A second screening is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre.
For more information, call the festival at 415-621-0556 or go to www.sfjff.org.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the Author
Patricia Decker earned her master’s in structural engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Until recently, she worked as an engineer with the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, but made the leap to journalism, covering city politics, in May.
Comments
This was an incredibly one-sided writeup of this issue. A small group of fringe radical fringe Zionists waged a vicious campaign against Peter Stein and the festival for inviting Corrie's mother to speak, attempting to censor the film and threatening people's jobs, and Patricia wrote it up as if it. Patricia's whole article reads like a page from Michael Harris's absurd rant before the screening.
Did she mention that this was by far the most heavily attended film at the festival, or that as the screening finished to a packed house at the castro theater, the entire audience gave it a standing ovation? No. Because she probably wasn't even there.
Bad work and very unbalanced, Public Press.
I was, in fact, at the film on Saturday and had the opportunity to hear both Michael Harris and Cindy Corrie speak before and after the screening, respectively, and to witness the emotions that gripped the audience as viewpoints on all sides were challenged.
I saw the protesters out front and heard the booing during some portions of the talks, but that all fell away during the uninterrupted screening. I also saw from my seat up front how Michael Harris and his group remained seated during that standing ovation you mentioned.
But this piece was written on Thursday, July 23, before any of that happened.
Thanks for covering this issue. I would add, though, that there is not a monolithic Jewish community in the Bay Area, and that I and many others support the right of the festival to show whatever films they choose and invite anybody to comment on the film. To accuse the festival of "anti-semitism" for showing "Rachel," as some Jewish organizations have done, is to stoop to vilification rather than encourage debate about Israeli militarism.
I think it's just perfect how this article covers nation-wide and worldwide responses and perspectives without telling the reader what to think or what conclusions to draw.
Keep up the great work!
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