Empty Solidarity: Holding IDFA Accountable for Failing Palestinian Voices
A call to filmmakers, cultural workers and audiences to take collective action.
Mission and Vision of IDFA
In its mission and vision statements, IDFA asserts a commitment to screening films that “stand up for others and build better societies with more democracy, openness, and humanity.” The organization’s core values further emphasize “inclusion, diversity, polyphony, and solidarity,” with a mission to showcase and develop films from around the world, prioritizing non-dominant perspectives for a diverse audience.
However, despite IDFA’s condemnation of other state violence, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the organization has remained conspicuously silent on issues facing Palestine. Last year, IDFA even condemned the slogan “From the River to the Sea” (a slogan protected by the Dutch courts) as “an offensive declaration” in response to protests on opening night, positioning itself in alignment with Zionist narratives over Palestinian voices. When filmmakers withdrew from the festival in protest, IDFA quietly acknowledged the reason these films were removed from the program but stopped short of a meaningful public apology. This selective solidarity raises questions about IDFA’s commitment to justice as a public cultural institution in the Netherlands.
A Call for Accountability: Adhere to PACBI
If IDFA was sincere about standing up for Palestinians and supporting their anticolonial struggle for liberation, the festival would follow PACBI’s guidelines by refusing to engage with any Israeli state-funded projects. In the 13th month of the ongoing genocide on Gaza and Israel's escalation on Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, putting international pressure on Israel through cultural boycotts is essential to end Israel's state violence.
PACBI is not a boycott of artists or individuals based on their nationality, ethnicity, or religion, but is a refusal to engage with projects that support or are supported by the Israeli occupation, either explicitly or implicitly. Adherence to PACBI would entail:
- Boycotting all cultural products sponsored or funded by the Israeli state, regardless of whether the sponsorship is partial or full.
- Refusing to host or promote any events that create a false symmetry between oppressor and oppressed, particularly when they involve normalization efforts.
- Refraining from cultural collaborations with Israeli state-affiliated institutions (such as Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival).
We recognize that aligning with PACBI might put IDFA’s relationships with some sponsors and donors at risk. However, to selectively support justice based on political convenience is not solidarity—it’s complicity. We have seen IDFA express solidarity and take concrete steps in other political contexts several times over—condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, decrying violence against women in Afghanistan. As a major cultural institution, IDFA has an obligation to hold itself to the same ethical standards it promotes elsewhere.
IDFA’s Problematic Programming: Israeli State-Funded Films in Pathway on Palestine
This year, IDFA’s “Palestine” pathway program includes two Israeli state-funded films, The 1957 Transcripts and Rule of Stone, that directly contravene PACBI guidelines. The 1957 Transcripts is funded by multiple Israeli state bodies, including Israel’s Ministry of Culture and the New Fund for Cinema and Television, which receives substantial support from the Israeli government. Additionally, the film's distribution by Yes Docu—a major Israeli satellite broadcaster—reinforces these ties to institutions linked with the Israeli state. The largest shareholder in these satellite companies is Bezeq, which is on the UN database of companies involved in illegal settlement business. Both companies are involved in Israeli’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In the case of Rule of Stone, the film's promotional materials prominently feature the logo of The Makor Foundation for Israeli Films. This association is significant, as PACBI opposes partnerships and funding from Israeli governmental or state-supported institutions, viewing them as contributing to normalization and support of Israeli policies. Additionally, the Van Leer Institute, which is affiliated with the Israeli government, and Copro (the Documentary Marketing Foundation), a non-profit fostering Israeli documentary co-productions, are both linked to the film. By displaying these logos and affiliations, Rule of Stone signals its reliance on state-associated backing, rendering it boycottable by PACBI standards.
Collective Commitment to Palestinian Justice
To filmmakers, cultural workers, and audiences participating in IDFA this year, we urge you to consider the collective power you hold. IDFA cannot thrive without its filmmakers and workers, and a firm stance by creators could prompt the festival to prioritize Palestinian voices and support genuine solidarity. We must press IDFA to unequivocally condemn Israel’s actions as a genocide and, at a minimum, adhere to the guidelines set by PACBI.
As Jean-Luc Godard said during the 1968 Cannes protests: “We’re talking about solidarity with students and workers. You’re talking dolly shots and close-ups; you’re assholes.” Today, we are talking about solidarity and resistance to a genocide. Decolonization is not a curatorial or aesthetic choice; it requires financial, structural, and discursive rejections of colonial and capitalist logics that co-opt and exploit marginalized voices for material gain.
Only when cultural institutions reject superficial solidarity in favor of real, material support for oppressed communities can cinema be reclaimed as a tool for justice and resistance against state-sponsored violence. The "question" of Palestine is, fundamentally, a question for cinema: How can we ensure that film contributes to building better societies, without falling into the trap of aestheticizing suffering or reinforcing empty gestures of “solidarity”?