Conservative political party criticises Zurich Film Festival for being too critical of Israel

Party criticises Zurich Film Festival for being too critical of Israel Keystone-SDA

The Zurich branch of the Federal Democratic Union (EDU) is dissatisfied with the Zurich Film Festival’s selection of films. It claims that Palestinian issues are being given a strikingly prominent place. It has asked the Zurich cantonal government for its views on this political bias.

The catalyst for the enquiry, which was published this week, was the film Naza, which was screened at the Zurich Film Festival and makes serious allegations against the Israeli army.

Also featured in this year’s festival programme was the film Life Support, which depicts the precarious medical situation in Gaza’s hospitals during the war between Israel and Hamas. According to the ultra-conservative Christian party EDU, Israel is being held solely responsible for this.

According to the EDU, over the past two years – since Hamas’s attack on Israel – the ZFF has shown exclusively Palestinian-oriented productions critical of Israel. Against this backdrop, the ZFF’s aim of presenting “a diversity of voices and perspectives” appears questionable.

Subsidies of CHF1.3 million

The EDU therefore wants the Zurich cantonal government to explain how it justifies the use of public funds to support a festival whose programme has been one-sided for years. It fears that the subsidies for the ZFF are being used to “reinforce political biases”.

The ZFF receives public funding of around CHF1.3 million ($1.55 million) per year. Of this, CHF400,000 come from the canton, CHF500,000 from the city and CHF420,000 from the federal government. The cantonal government is due to comment on the matter in the coming weeks.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.