Zionist Federation of Australia president Philip Chester has spoken out against an attempt by the makers of the film Son of Babylon to boycott the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) because of Israeli sponsorship of the event.
In an email to festival director Richard Moore, the film”s director Mohamed Al-Daradji and producers Isabelle Stead and Atia Al-Daradji demanded the film, a Palestinian co-production, not be show in protest against Israel”s “illegal crimes against humanity”.
The email was sent on the day Son of Babylon was due to be screened. The film was shown as scheduled.
“The request by the makers was completely inappropriate,” Chester told The AJN. “[The boycott] is part of a worldwide attempt to isolate Israel, to boycott Israeli products, creativity, programs and culture. We”re seeing it everywhere and that”s the real worry.”
