Monsoon Wedding director Mira Nair boycotts Israel film festival

Mira Nair (Wikimedia Commons)

by Ali Abunimah

Mira Nair, the internationally-acclaimed director of Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding, has refused an invitation to take her latest film to Israel, citing the Palestinian call for cultural boycott.

In a series of tweets today, Nair made the following statement:

 I was just invited to Israel as a guest of honor at the Haifa International Film Festival with “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.” I will not be going to Israel at this time. I will go to Israel when the walls come down. I will go to Israel when occupation is gone. I will go to Israel when the state does not privilege one religion over another. I will go to Israel when Apartheid is over. I will go to Israel, soon. I stand with the [Palestinian Campaign] for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the larger Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement.

 Official trailer of The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mira Nair’s tweets

on Twitter

I was just invited to Israel as a guest of honor at the Haifa International Film Festival with “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.” (1/5)
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) July 19, 2013

on Twitter

I will not be going to Israel at this time. I will go to Israel when the walls come down. I will go to Israel when occupation is gone. (2/5)
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) July 19, 2013

on Twitter

I will go to Israel when the state does not privilege one religion over another. I will go to Israel when Apartheid is over. (3/5)
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) July 19, 2013

on Twitter

I will go to Israel, soon. (4/5)
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) July 19, 2013

on Twitter

I stand w/ Palestine for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) & the larger Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Mov't. (5/5)
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) July 19, 2013

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