A California film festival repudiated an announcement that it would ban Israeli movies.
Jennifer Hsu, director of the San Diego Women’s Film Festival, reportedly issued a statement supporting a ban on Israeli films during the festival, scheduled for the first week of October. But the board of directors of the San Diego Women’s Film Foundation, which sponsors the festival, repudiated those remarks in a statement published on the foundation’s Web site.
“We are pleased that the Film Foundation recognized the festival director’s errant behavior and has moved expeditiously to correct the injustice of excluding Israeli filmmakers,” said Tad Seth Parzen, president of the American Jewish Committee’s San Diego chapter.
The board of directors apologized for Hsu’s statement, which it said was made without the board’s consent.
“For the record, the San Diego Women Film Foundation and Festival is NOT boycotting Israeli films,” the statement said. “We are hopeful that filmmakers from the Israeli community will continue to submit films. Actions regarding the festival director will be dealt with internally.”
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