Filmmaker Sora criticizes art world’s silence on Gaza genocide

By Selman Aksunger

ISTANBUL (AA) - 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.

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 programing, 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.”

- Oct. 7 and reality of genocide

“I was in New York on Oct. 7, 2023, when it happened. It was really difficult to stay motivated to finish my film in the face of such extreme, livestreamed 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% convinced that it is indeed genocide,” said Sora, recalling events from Oct. 7 last year.

Sora added that Israel's settler colonialism isn't 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.”

- Palestinian culture being destroyed

Sora emphasized the importance of boycotting organizations that support Israel, saying: “As consumers, boycot is critical. We need to show these big corporations that if they make films like Wonder Woman, or Marvel featuring Gal Gadot, who’s basically a spokesperson for the IDF, they’ll lose money because we won’t support those projects.”

“We’re at the start of an AI dystopia. More concerning, though, is that the responsibility for these war crimes is being shifted to military AI systems created by Israeli military and software companies. This is a disastrous situation, especially given the environmental impact of these AI systems,” Sora said, highlighting Israel’s attempts to evade accountability.

- ‘We are at a historic turning point’

Sora pointed out that artists and others are not doing enough to stop the genocide in Gaza.

“The fact that this genocide has continued for 367 days and now these atrocities by Israel are spreading to other countries, like Lebanon, shows we’re not doing enough. We all need to do more, whether we’re filmmakers, businessmen, lawyers, or professionals in any other field,” he concluded.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan