"Today 51 Canadian filmmakers issued a statement of protest to Hot Docs documentary film festival stating “as members of the film and arts community, we are deeply disappointed to learn that Hot Docs has decided to partner with the Israeli organization CoPro Documentary Marketing Foundation. Intentionally or not, this decision puts Hot Docs in direct support of the Israeli state and its ongoing violations of international law.” The list of signatories includes longtime Hot Docs favourites such as Brenda Longfellow and Ali Kazimi, as well as past jurors and supporters.
The statement is specifically protesting the organization of a Canadian Delegation to CoPro 13. Organized by the CoPro Documentary Marketing Foundation (CoPro), it is a forum for international documentary co-productions to be held in Tel Aviv from 23 – 30 of May, 2011. The funders of CoPro include the Israel Film Council, an official part of the Israeli Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Golan Heights Winery, which operates illegally in the occupied Syrian Golan heights. Such collaboration between Hot Docs and CoPro is designed to highlight and promote the Israeli documentary filmmaking industry and cultural production in a way that diverts attention from Israel’s ongoing violations of international law and human rights abuses against the Palestinian people."
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