Equity’s International Solidarity Committee has released a statement following Israeli police shutting down a screening of Palestine 36 in East Jerusalem in late January and the subsequent ban on future screenings, expressing solidarity with “all film workers involved in this production”.
Chipo Chung, Chair of Equity’s International Solidarity Committee, said:
"The film Palestine 36 is about colonialism and its impact on indigenous populations - a familiar story to anyone from Africa, Asia or Australia. That both BFI and BBC Films are involved as producers of this film speaks to a necessary acknowledgement of the true history of Empire; that so many British actors and Equity members have contributed their talent to this story is a cultural reparation - a repairing, a making of amends.
It would set a dangerous precedent if we, as union members, should stand back when our colleagues’ work, and artistic expression, is censored and banned under ‘terrorism’ laws. And it is our duty as Equity’s International Solidarity Committee to highlight that this is a regular occurrence for Palestinian film and theatre workers
Chipo Chung, Chair of Equity's International Solidarity Committee
"It would set a dangerous precedent if we, as union members, should stand back when our colleagues’ work, and artistic expression, is censored and banned under ‘terrorism’ laws. And it is our duty as Equity’s International Solidarity Committee to highlight that this is a regular occurrence for Palestinian film and theatre workers. Banning this film is erasing Palestinian history.
"Alongside the bombing of every cultural institute in Gaza, banning this film is part of the cultural genocide of the Palestinian people, a denial of their existence, their memories, their stories. As a British institution, Equity’s International Solidarity Committee stands in solidarity with all the film workers involved in this production."
Equity member Billy Howle, who plays Thomas Hopkins in the film, commented:
“For the film industry, across the globe, the raid of the Yabous Cultural Centre during the showing of Palestine 36 ought to be considered an abject tragedy, an infringement on civil liberties, a moral failure and beyond that it ought to be a serious concern for anyone who believes in human rights and freedom of expression.”
“We are talking about a Palestinian film with British financial backing and several Equity members in its cast and crew, a film that ran in cinemas across the UK for months, was nominated at the Oscars and has been awarded in Ireland and Japan.”
The committee have also noted deep concern with the repeated detention of cultural workers in the Occupied Territories of Palestine and raids on cultural events, including a raid on a children's play at the Palestinian National Theatre in East Jerusalem in 2025.
Last year Paul Fleming, Equity General Secretary, commented on the violent assault of Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of "No Other Land", saying "The attack on Hamdan demonstrates again the devastating impact that the violent conflict and surrounding occupation is having upon the lives of artists and creatives in the region. Artistic expression remains a critical tool for oppressed peoples everywhere and must be protected".
