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‘Total lack of…’: Ex Israel envoy on filmmaker's criticism of The Kashmir Files
The Israeli filmmaker, who was the jury head at the International Film Festival of India, criticised the entry saying the jury was "disturbed and shocked" by the film and deemed it “inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.”
A former Israeli ambassador has termed filmmaker Nadav Lapid's remark on The Kashmir Files “unfortunate”, emphasising that the comment reflects “his own and only his own views." Daniel Carmon, a former ambassador to India and Sri Lanka, said Lapid should apologize for his “revolting personal remarks on historical facts without any sensitivity” and “not really knowing what he was talking about.”
“An unfortunate comment which reflects his own and only his own views and total lack of basic sensitivity or knowledge of what he talked about,” the former envoy said in a tweet.
'The Kashmir Files', based on the killing of Kashmiri Pandits during an upsurge in militancy in the Valley in the 1990s and the community's subsequent exodus from the region, was screened at IFFI on November 22 as a part of the Indian Panorama Section. Lapid criticised the entry saying the jury was "disturbed and shocked" by the film and deemed it “inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.” (Also Read | Who is Nadav Lapid, the Israeli filmmaker who called Kashmir Files ‘vulgar’?)
As Lapid's remark sparked outrage on social media, with many wondering whether people should also start dismissing films based on the Holocaust, Carmon said, “I strongly urge our many friends in India not to be drawn by one person’s remarks to doubting the facts about the #Holocaust."
The former diplomat also thanked Israel ambassador to India Naor Gion “for setting the Israeli record straight” in his open letter to Lapid. Gilon, in a series of tweets, said that Lapid should be ashamed of his remark on Kashmir Files as it is “insensitive and presumptuous to speak about historic events before deeply studying them and which are an open wound in India.”
“Amb @NaorGilon’s excellent open letter this morning to #NadavLapid speaks for all of us & reflects our true feelings. As the Ambassador said-the friendship between the people & the states of India & Israel is very strong and will survive the damage the film maker has inflicted,” Carmon said.
