Do Palestinians Exist? Hollywood Denies the Existence of Palestine

Do Palestinians Exist?
Hollywood Denies the Existence of Palestine






Issue: The producers of Elia Suleiman’s film “Divine Intervention” have decided to delay submission of the film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as the Palestinian entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar due to questions concerning the AMPAS’s eligibility criteria, specifically whether or not to recognize Palestine as a country.

Originally, the film was to be released in Palestine in 2002 and submitted to the Academy for consideration for the 2002 Oscars. However, after the Executive Director of the Academy told producer Humbert Balsan, in a telephone conversation, that Palestine was not recognized as a state under Academy rules, the producers decided to delay its release in Palestine in order to make it eligible for submission in 2003, thus gaining a year to lobby for the movie to be accepted as the Palestinian entry.

According to Academy Awards Coordinator Patrick Stockstill, the official Academy policy is to “go by the List of Member Nations of the United Nations to confirm countries.” However, the Academy has not held firmly to this policy in the past, as they have accepted submissions from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico, none of which are independent nations. In fact, Taiwan’s submission “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” went on to win the 2001 Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Palestine has maintained observer status at the United Nations since 1974, and is recognized as a nation by over 115 countries around the world. Based on the Academy’s past policies, it stands to reason that a highly acclaimed film like “Divine Intervention” would be allowed to compete for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. After all, the film recently won Best Foreign Film (Non-European) at the European Film Awards in Rome, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival.

Furthermore, it was an official selection at many North American film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival (2002), the New York International Film Festival (2002), the AFI Film Festival (2002), the Denver International Film Festival (2002), the Santa Fe Film Festival (2002), the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival (2003), and the Cleveland International Film Festival (2003), to name a few. In addition, the film’s director, Elia Suleiman, has won several awards, including one at the Venice International Film Festival.

Response: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is “very concerned that the Academy may have discouraged the submission of ‘Divine Intervention’ for technical reasons in order to avoid having to make a decision whether or not to exclude the film because it was made by and about Palestinians. At the Cannes Festival and many other venues, ‘Divine Intervention’ has proven to be competitive at the highest level and deserves to be considered for an Oscar.” ADC urges you to ask the AMPAS, specifically, the foreign film selection committee, to welcome Palestinian films as contenders for an Oscar.

Take Action: Contact the Academy Foundation by clicking HERE and urge the Academy to consider the movie "Divine Intervention" for a 2003 Oscar nomination.

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