Japanese Film-maker Sora Criticises Art World’s Silence on Gaza Genocide
Tokyo, MINA – Japanese-American film director, Neo Sora, said the world of cinema has failed to adequately respond to the genocide in Gaza, stressing the need for a stronger reaction during his appearance at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, Anadolu Agency reports.
US-born Sora, who posed with a Palestinian keffiyeh and a flag reading “Free Palestine” at the festival, discussed the art world’s attitude towards Palestine with Anadolu.
Describing the positive response he received at the festival, Sora said: “In Venice, there was a resounding applause for the keffiyeh and the Palestinian flag. People were shouting from the audience, ‘Free Palestine’, and I was responding by saying, ‘Free Palestine’.
“Making films and having the privilege to attend international festivals like Venice gives me a huge platform to have my voice heard by people globally, including Japanese audiences,” he said.
Sora also expressed disappointment with the Festival’s programming, saying: “I was a little disappointed because you could tell they were trying to create an equivalency by including one Israeli film and one Palestinian film in the same section of Orizzonti, where my film was featured.”
“I was in New York on 7 October, 2023, when it happened. It was really difficult to stay motivated to finish my film in the face of such extreme, live-streamed genocide, the likes of which I’ve never seen in my lifetime. I think it’s the worst genocide we’ve witnessed.
“I questioned whether I could continue making films because what’s the point of telling stories about human dignity when we’re witnessing such horrific violence that strips people of their humanity? After reflecting on the past year, I am 100 per cent convinced that it is indeed genocide,” said Sora, recalling events from 7 October last year.
Sora added that Israel’s settler colonialism is not just a Palestinian narrative. “It’s not something I’ve only been convinced of through Palestinian voices. Israelis themselves say it’s a settler colonial project. Look at the words of people like David Ben-Gurion or the founders of the Zionist movement; They called it a settler colonialist project.” (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
