Sardinian directors join together to shout their no to the ongoing massacre in the Gaza Strip: "A humanitarian tragedy that marks our time and that we can neither ignore nor minimize."
They write in a letter: "We, Sardinian directors, united as a collective of film and audiovisual professionals, feel the moral and civil obligation to raise our voices in the face of what has been devastating the Gaza Strip for months. We are witnessing an absurd and unjust military action that mercilessly strikes the Palestinian civilian population, trapped in a cage of violence that overwhelms children, women, and the elderly. The thousands of victims, the annihilated cities, the hunger, the thirst, the lack of care and aid tell of a humanitarian tragedy that marks our time and that we can neither ignore nor minimize. As filmmakers, we cannot remain silent in the face of the serious violations of human rights and freedom of expression that also affect our profession . Palestinian filmmakers and documentary filmmakers — who have been courageously reporting the reality of their people for years — are victims of censorship, intimidation, arrest, attacks and, in some cases, have lost their lives in an attempt to film and bear witness to what is happening. The directors of the documentary No Other Land — Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor — have been subjected to serious intimidation for their work denouncing the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Hamdan Ballal was attacked by armed settlers, arrested and beaten by Israeli soldiers. Yuval Abraham, after his ceasefire speech at the Berlinale, received death threats and was forced to leave his home. Their voices, like those of many Palestinian filmmakers, continue to be hindered and silenced.
" We cannot accept the ambiguity of national politics - it continues - incapable of taking a clear position in defense of the rights of the Palestinian people . Respect for international law and condemnation of the Israeli government's policy can no longer be the object of diplomatic calculations or political compromises. We ask that all military action against the civilian population cease immediately, that free and safe access to humanitarian aid be allowed, that freedom of expression and the work of artists and filmmakers in the occupied territories be protected and that Italy, as a democratic country, clearly express itself in favor of the defense and full recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people. The motion also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and proposes Sardinia as the venue for a future peace conference in the Middle East. We ask the Region to continue to take all necessary actions against the government, so that Italy submits and pushes the international community to act through diplomatic actions for the definitive resolution of this humanitarian tragedy".
