French government stops funding Israeli cinema festival
National institute says decision was made due to ‘budget constraints,’ but organizers hope they may yet overturn it
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A festival in Paris celebrating Israeli cinema that marks its 16th anniversary this year will no longer be co-funded by the French government’s National Center of Cinema and Animation (CNC), founder Charles Zrihen told the Times of Israel.
The festival will take place between March 29 and April 5. It is organized by the French association Kolnoah (‘cinema’ in Hebrew) in cooperation with the Israeli Embassy in Paris.
Zrihen said the festival “has a goal of promoting little-seen cinematic creations, to present advance screenings of films that will be distributed in France and to better present Israel’s cultural heritage, in all genres and sensibilities.”
In December 2015, the CNC said it would no longer “financially accompany” the festival, due to “strong budget constraints,” Zrihen said.
The CNC is part of the French Ministry of Culture and Communications and finances cinematic and audiovisual productions in the country. The support given to the Israeli festival over the years amounted to many thousands of euros.
The decision to stop funding in 2016 was made before the festival presented its program, where it sought to modernize the festival.
“This year, the festival innovates with a new location — the flagship art-house cinema hall 7 Parnassiens — which will allow us to create a cultural event of great significance, including concerts, a photo exhibition, temporary library and gourmet food stalls, all on top, of course, of screening films in large-capacity halls,” Zrihen said.
Last month, the organizers sent a letter to Audrey Azoulay, President Francois Hollande’s culture and communications advisor, asking her to review the CNC’s decision and consider “the festival’s new ambitions and the new challenges we face.”
Azoulay, a Jew of Moroccan descent, was named France’s minister of culture and communications last week.
The festival, Zrihen argued, is a “veritable bridge between Israel and France, in line with the politics of cultural exchanges between the two countries, and offers a new and sometimes uncompromising look at Israeli society, the questions it faces, the conflicts between different generations and its ties with the diaspora,” Zrihen said.
The request has so far remained unanswered. Organizers hope that the decision to stop funding for the festival may change now that Azoulay has been appointed a government minister.
The Times of Israel Community.