Palestinian festival drops film over director’s Israel trips

Ziad Doueiri’s ‘The Insult,’ competing for top award, canceled, following pressure from anti-normalization activists

By AP 22 October 2017, 10:23 pm Edit
Lebanese-French director Ziad Douieri (2nd L) poses with actors Adel Karam (2nd R), Diamand Bou Abboud (R) and award-winning Palestinian actor Kamal el-Basha (L) at the pre-screening of "The Insult" in Beirut on September 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ANWAR AMRO)
Lebanese-French director Ziad Douieri (2nd L) poses with actors Adel Karam (2nd R), Diamand Bou Abboud (R) and award-winning Palestinian actor Kamal el-Basha (L) at the pre-screening of "The Insult" in Beirut on September 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ANWAR AMRO)

A Palestinian film festival says it has canceled the screening of a movie by a Lebanese-French director following pressure from activists, because he had shot a previous film in Israel.

“The Insult,” the latest movie by director Ziad Doueiri, was set to be screened at the Palestinian Days of Cinema festival and was competing for its top award.

But the screening was canceled Sunday amid pressure by activists who oppose the normalization of ties with Israel.

Ziad Doueiri (center) with actors Ali Suliman (right) and Reymond Amsalem (left), on the set of ‘The Attack’ (courtesy/Ziad Doueiri)

Doueiri’s previous movie, “The Attack,” about a Palestinian surgeon living in Tel Aviv who discovers that his wife carried out a deadly suicide attack, was filmed in Israel and featured several Israeli actors.

The decision to cancel the screening comes after Lebanese authorities briefly detained Doueiri last month because of his visits to Israel.

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