Is famous British director Ken Loach, one of the most vocal
supporters of the BDS movement, excluding himself from the boycott effort he so
vigorously pushes on others?
Nearly all of Loach’s most recent films have been screened
in Israel even though the director told Yedioth Ahronoth in the past that he
would “prefer his films not be distributed in Israel.” It would
appear he does not make much of an effort to stop them from being screened.
The distributors of his films in Israel, led by Guy Shani,
CEO of Shani Films and Lev Cinemas Ltd, say if Loach were really interested in
his films not being screened nor distributed in Israel, he would be able to
easily ensure this with the distribution company.
However, in an opinion piece on Loach’s hypocrisy published
by British newspaper the Guardian, sources close to the director said
screenings in Israel “were a mistake” and that films sold for
distribution in Israel were hastily decided upon at Cannes by junior employees
“in the heat of the moment.”
According to the report, Guy Shani remarked on Loach’s
claims and those of his producers, saying, “I can’t tell you how absurd
this is. We’ve been showing his movies for years. I have been paying him money
every year.
“Since 1993,
when we bought Raining Stones, we bought every film apart from two. We never
faced any trouble buying and the audience at the Lev Cinemas is very
open-minded and believes in free speech. So he’s punishing the wrong people or
trying to.”
