Legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard withdrew from an Israeli film festival.
Godard, a leader of the New Wave cinema of the 1960s, planned to fly into Tel Aviv on Saturday to officiate at the International Student Film Festival. But he canceled on short notice, a move event organizers said appeared to have been politically motivated.
A pro-Palestinian group had written to Godard urging him to stay away from Israel in protest of its policies.
“We are very disappointed because he seems to have succumbed to pressure from pro-Palestinian groups who launched a campaign for people to boycott Israel,” said Morane Tal, a festival organizer.
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