Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) officially partnered with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, specifically committing to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). VQFF announced the boycott ahead of the festival's thirty-sixth annual event scheduled for September 11-22.Out On Screen (OOS), the non-profit behind VQFF, released a comprehensive statement outlining their commitment to PACBI and their stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. "Out On Screen's support for Palestine and rejection of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid is a direct extension of our vision for an equitable society where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are respected, valued, and protected across all our intersections of identity," said the OOS statement."We reject all forms of racism, including anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and any form of discrimination against individuals on the basis of their identity, including ability, citizenship, race, religion, gender, and sexuality."The film festival will follow the PACBI guidelines towards Israel."In keeping with PACBI guidelines, Out On Screen will not collaborate with Israeli cultural or academic institutions and will not present or support cultural products commissioned by an official Israeli body or that serve to promote or normalize Israel's occupation of Palestine. This is also in line with the Liberatory Demand from Queers in Palestine of November 2023," said the OOS statement.Major Canadian companies, including Royal Bank, Warner Brothers, and Scotiabank, sponsor the VQFF.The VQFF received funding from taxpayer-funded organizations such as Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, CBC Vancouver, Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver, Creative BC, British Columbia Arts Council, and the Canadian government. None of the advertisers backed out after the VQFF issued their statement supporting the PACBI and BDS movement.The decision to follow the PACBI guidelines comes after years of "community dialogue" and "internal reflection" after a controversy in 2014 when the festival included an advertisement from Yad b'Yad LGBTQ.The ad featured the Israeli flag superimposed over the LGBTQ rainbow banner. It led to protests and backlash from groups such as Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.The fallout from this incident continued into 2015 when the Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre (CWHWC), a long-time partner of the festival, withdrew its support. In a public letter, CWHWC told the VQFF to take a clear stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict and address concerns about "pinkwashing."The upcoming VQFF will feature a range of films and industry panels, including discussions on topics like "Queer Intimacy on Screen" and "Nonbinary Creatives in Film."
