Ajami co-director Scandar Copti on Sunday said that he does not represent Israel, hours before his film competes for the best foreign film Oscar at the Academy Awards, Army Radio reported.
"I am not Israel's national team and do not represent her," Copti reportedly said. "It is an extremely technical thing and that's how it works at the Oscars - it says 'Israel' because that's where the money comes from."
He added that the film, which is co-directed by Copti and Israeli director Yaron Shani, features a mixed cast.
"There's a Palestinian director, an Israeli director, Palestinian actors and Israeli actors. The film technically represents Israel, but I don't represent Israel. I cannot represent a country that does not represent me," he said, according to Army Radio.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
<span>Scandar Copti is an unusual name. Tgia, do you know anything about the origin of the name?</span>
ReplyDeleteI wonder why he accepted Israel government money to produce the film if he felt so strongly about this?
Looks like a very interesting film.
ReplyDelete<span>Could ‘Ajami’ Win Best Foreign Film Tonight?
http://trueslant.com/eileenread/2010/03/07/could-ajami-win-best-foreign-film-tonight/</span>
<span>Ajami residents: Stop religious project
ReplyDelete<span><span>Residents petition High Court against decision to allow Bemuna company to build 20 apartments in Jaffa neighborhood for national-religious public only. Association for Civil Rights: This is bad news for entire society </span></span>
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3858808,00.html</span>
Not really unusual vza..Scandar is Arabic for Alexander. Copti is Arabic for Coptic..He's obviously Christian as many Palestinians are..He's not necessarily Coptic, though possible..
ReplyDeleteTony Sayegh from the PP was saying last week that he was born in Ajami..
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteWill this film be shown in the Middle East? (Other than Israel)
ReplyDeleteBecause of the cultural boycott of all things Israeli?
A good question..Maybe because the co-director is Palestinian..BTW, not all Arab countries boycott Israel...Sadly..
ReplyDeleteI do not support the cultural boycott for this reason. A fine film like this, a collaboration among a diverse group of people, will not be seen by large numbers of people.
ReplyDeleteIsrael’s ’sensitive artist narrative’ just might implode at the Oscars tonight!
ReplyDelete“Ajami” is the Israeli nominee for “Best Foreign Film” at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. However, what promised to be a public relations coup for the Israelis threatens to become a political embarrassment that exposes the wide rift between the country’s Jewish and Arab citizens. The film (the third consecutive Oscar nomination for Israel) has been applauded for its realistic view of life in an Arab slum neighborhood in Jaffa and also for the oft-mentioned multicultural feel-good component; the film was co-directed by two young filmmakers, Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti — one Jewish and one Palestinian-Israeli.
Jewish Israelis take pride in their successful artists, viewing them as a reflection of the nation’s creativity, sensitivity and sometimes even what some like to call a “nuanced” political understanding.<span> </span>On the international stage, these Zionist cultural ambassadors work well in obfuscating the image of brutality and repression that usually emerges from the news headlines, whether the subject is discrimination against non-Jewish citizens, the siege of Gaza, the West Bank settlers, the Judaization of East Jerusalem or a threatened attack of Iran.<span> </span>Especially among some Jewish occupation critics, the sensitive artist narrative serves as a useful argument against cultural boycotts, while layering illegal Israeli government actions and alarming popular support for racist policy with the illusion and comfort of hope.<span></span>
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/israels-sensitive-artist-narrative-just-might-implode-at-the-oscars-tonight.html
And as usual, very interesting comments.
“This is not a boycott of Israelis. It’s a boycott of pretending that everything is normal in Israel, because that’s what cultural producers are usually invited to do.”
ReplyDelete“It’s a boycott of Israeli institutions, it’s a boycott of the Israeli economy.”
Naomi Klein
I havn't seen anything about the Oscar winners yet but I bet this didn't win. I bet the academy hadn't seen the film, saw the "Israel" credit and nodded it through (what a cynic I am).
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jazeera will show it, eh?
An Argentinian film won the Oscar.
ReplyDelete