The Sarajevo Film Festival, which concludes Saturday, has been the scene
of yet another hard stance from a filmmaker regarding the conflict in Gaza.
Late Thursday, outspoken British director Ken Loach gave a speech at the Katrin
Cartlidge Foundation Award Ceremony honoring Palestinian directors Abdel Salam
Shehadeh and Ashraf Mashharawi, and called for an “absolute boycott of all the
cultural happenings supported by the Israeli state.” According to Screen Daily,
he added, “Israel must become a pariah state.” Loach further referred to the
U.S., saying, “My country, to its shame, follows the bully that is the United
States. But we are not powerless. We can act together.”
