Israeli film festival is ‘still standing’ in UK after 15 years

The 15th Seret UK Israeli film festival has launched with a defiant speech from its co-founder and CEO.

Addressing a packed cinema in the West End for its gala evening on Thursday, Odelia Haroush said: “When we started this festival, we had a simple belief – great cinema with no borders. Stories – real, human, honest stories – deserve to be seen, and 15 years later, here we are, still standing, still screening, still refusing to go anywhere.”

Haroush said that the last few years had been challenging, with cinemas and partners hesitating or pulling out of the festival. As reported in the JC, the Picturehouse chain of cinemas dropped the festival in March 2024, and the Curzon no longer hosts Seret. Both cinema groups cited “safety fears” in an article in the Times.

Haroush said: “We have faced something which still surprises me every time it happens – cinemas, venues, partners who have hesitated or pulled away, simply because our films come from Israel. Not because of the quality, but simply because of where they were made.

“Every time that happens, we have a choice – to be discouraged, to be quiet, to shrink. We choose differently. We believe that culture is a bridge, not a wall. Cinema is not a weapon, it’s an invitation, an invitation to sit in a dark room together, to feel something together, to understand each other a little better.”

Celebrated Israeli director Eran Riklis (left) (Photo: Nir Segal)[Missing Credit]

Despite reduced funding, calls for boycotts and being rejected by venues, the festival would remain a cultural fixture, said Haroush. “No obstacle, no closed door, no shrinking budget will shut us down. We are here in our 15th year, and we are prouder than ever.”

She paid tribute to the “loyalty” of long-time sponsors, as well as to the “courage” of new sponsors. “By choosing to work with us, you are helping us keep the lights on.”

The opening gala included a screening of Bella, a heartwarming film about a valuable dove and two couples – one Israeli, one Palestinian – who embark on a road trip to get Bella to a dove beauty pageant in Jerusalem and are faced with several setbacks along the way.

The festival’s artistic director and co-founder, Patti Hochmann, described the award-winning film, which is directed by Jamal Khalaily and Zohar Shahar, as “a story of cooperation and mutual respect”.

Guests at the Seret Israeli film festival opening night gala (Photo: Nir Segal)[Missing Credit]

There were also appearances from a number of Israeli actors who feature in the festival films, including Netta Riskin, Yossi Marshak, Shai Avivi and Nelly Tagar, with the latter giving a comical speech at the start of the evening.

Celebrated director Eran Riklis, who has several films in Seret, was also welcomed onto the stage.

The remainder of the festival, which runs in the UK until May 14, includes a diverse range of drama and comedy, which doesn’t shy away from portraying the complexities of the social and political landscape of the region.

Seret takes place in several other countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Argentina.

To book tickets, go to seretfilmfestival.org or click here

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Topics:

Seret

Israeli film festival

October 7

Israeli culture

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