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4 Sep, 2014

Palestinian director Suha Arraf decries Israeli discriminatory treatment – Hindustan Times

Villa Touma’s importance lies in the fact that the movie caused a tempest, weeks before its premiere in Venice. Made by a Palestinian director (known for works such as The Syrian Bride and The Lemon Tree), Villa Touma was largely funded by Israeli organisations.

But when Arraf decided to call it a Palestinian film, Tel Aviv was peeved, and demanded that the money be returned.

“It has been a month and a half since the controversy broke, but nobody has sent me any letter,” said Arraf during an interview with HT on September 2, 2014.

“Let me explain very clearly. We are a million and a half Palestinians living inside Israel. This is 20 per cent of Israel’s total population. We pay taxes to Israel. So, we are entitled to a part of Israel’s budget on culture. But we hardly get any of those funds which go to Israeli directors. They are using the money meant for us to make movies.”

Read the rest: Palestinian director Suha Arraf decries Israeli discriminatory treatment – Hindustan Times.