Film directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh have resigned as patrons of the Phoenix Cinema in north London after the venue agreed to host an Israeli state-sponsored film festival. The festival, Seret, is screening the documentary Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre, which recounts the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October.
Loach described the decision to host the event as 'simply unacceptable'. The directors were among more than 40 artists who signed a 2015 letter calling for a boycott of Seret, arguing that cinemas hosting the festival become 'silent accomplices to the violence inflicted on the Palestinian people'.
The Phoenix Cinema's board of trustees defended their decision, stating they do not censor private hires as long as they are legal and safe. They acknowledged 'passionate and strongly held views' but urged the community to remain committed to the cinema's vision of independence.
Pro-Palestine groups have called for the screening's cancellation due to the festival's links to the Israeli culture ministry and embassy. The cinema was vandalised with red graffiti reading 'Say no to artwashing', and protests are expected outside the venue.
Seret co-founder Odelia Haroush argued that politics should be separate from culture, noting that many Israeli filmmakers are left-wing and produce critical works. However, the Artists for Palestine UK network described the festival as part of an 'art-washing strategy' to cover up Israeli actions in Gaza.
