Jewish Film Festival continues but timing and venue changed

The decision by The Playhouse independent cinema in Hamilton to cancel its hosting of the Hamilton Jewish Film Festival is just another example of a non-partisan institution caving to the anri-Israel - and frankly anti-Jew - hate crowd, which has been demonstrating on Canada's streets since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and kidnapping of Israeli Jews. The Hamilton fest, which in the past has collaborated with the Windsor Jewish Film Festival (WJFF), has saved the event anyway, moving it to an arts centre in neighbouring Ancaster. (One wonders how long before that organization caves because of threats.) The Playhouse weasley cited the all too typical reasons for cancellation: "numerous security and safety related emails, phone calls and social media messages," coming at a "particularly sensitive time." The Hamilton Jewish Federation was having none of it, citing "a small number" of individuals claiming "any film produced in Israel is a form of Zionist propaganda" and the cinema was "prioritizing the will of anti-semites over an apolitical cultural festival that stands for artistic excellence and integrity." It's considering legal action. The WJFF, the 21st edition of the fest - Windsor’s oldest film festival even predating the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) - is "most definitely going ahead", Windsor Jewish Fed director Dan Brotman told me. It's scheduled June 17 - 20. And at the Capitol Theatre, publicly owned by the City of Windsor. But this raises two questions. Why the later start? The event is usually scheduled mid-Spring. Second: why the change in venue? For years it has been held at Devonshire Mall's Cineplex theaters. I've contacted the federation for more information but have not heard back. I have also contacted Cineplex HQ to ask if this was a corporate decision. Businesses have long been known to shy away from anything controversial, let alone today's current events. It may have even been a Devonshire Mall management decision given the Christmas disruption at Toronto’s Eaton Centre by anti-Israel demonstrators, and I will contact them as well. In any case, the Hamilton event is hosting six films and I wonder, based on past collaboration, if Windsor will host the same. Programming director Joe Schnayer said the schedule will be posted "very soon" on the federation's website. But if the Windsor festival had to move from Devonshire for the same reasons the Hamilton’s original venue cancelled the show, or in the cliched "safetyism" term of our time, "out of an abundance of caution," it’s disgusting. Even more so in a city where there has been relative peace between Jews and Muslims, even since Oct. 7.

Congratulations to Windsor filmmaker Min Bae on his documentary about the horrific sinking of the South Korean Sewol Ferry a decade ago, with the loss of hundreds of school children in one of the world's most horrendous shipping disasters. The 90-minute Reset has already been screened at last fall's WIFF and has had screenings at a few other festivals and is scheduled this December at the Madrid documentary fest. It's also available online on several platforms. The film asks: "why the rescue of our children and people was neglected on the fateful day the Sewol sank." The movie's closest screening to Windsor near term will be April 6, 7 pm at University of Toronto's Innis Hall. "I think another screening is planned for Windsor," the filmmaker and University of Windsor film production professor told me. "I will keep you posted."