[Boycott - Cultural]

Dustin Hoffman and Meg Ryan boycott Israeli film festival followiing flotilla massacre

Ben Child, The Guardian
7 July 2010

Hollywood actors Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman cancelled plans to attend the Jerusalem film festival following Israel's raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine dead earlier this year, an official has told the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

Actors Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman

"Meg Ryan was supposed to come here – it had all been closed with her people," he told the Post. "A day after the flotilla incident we got an email saying she was not going to attend, and although they claimed it was because she was too busy it was clear to me that it probably had something to do with what had happened."

Hayo added: "We were very close to reaching an agreement with [Hoffman], then the flotilla happened and correspondence was ended."

The two-week festival, which opens tomorrow, will nevertheless play host to some 150 international guests including heads of other international festivals, actors, producers and directors. It will debut around 50 Israeli movies, documentaries and short films. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend.

Hayo said the festival remained keen to help Israeli and Palestinian film-makers work together. "We are well-known for encouraging cooperation between Palestinian and Israelis in the area of film," he said.

The Jerusalem film festival has been running since 1984, when the pioneering art-film programmer and archivist Lia van Leer decided to set up an event in her home country after serving as a jury member in Cannes.

* Original title: Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman miss Jerusalem film festival after Gaza raid

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/07/meg-ryan-dustin-hoffman-jerusalem-film-festival

Dustin Hoffman, Meg Ryan cancel Israel appearances

Jewish Telegraphic Agency
7 July 2010

In an apparent reaction to the Gaza flotilla incident, actors Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman reportedly have backed out of attending the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Molad Hayo said Hoffman broke off negotiations, which had reached an “advanced" stage, the day after the incident in which Israeli Navy commandos boarded a Gaza-bound vessel attempting to break a maritime blockade, resulting in the death of nine passengers.

While neither actor said explicitly that the flotilla incident was the reason, “it became quite clear that this was the reason,� Hayo told the Post.

In addition to the actors, Prince Albert of Monaco canceled his participation in the event, which begins Thursday and runs for two weeks. The film festival is scheduled to have a tribute to actress Grace Kelly, the prince's mother.

Source: http://jta.org/news/article/2010/07/07/2739939/dustin-hoffman-meg-ryan-cancel-israel-appearance

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