Should you go and see Ari Folman's The Congress? Well, the film is very original, highly imaginative . . . hang on. I sense you bristling with self-righteous indignation. The question is not whether Folman's follow-up to Waltz With Bashir is any good. You are, perhaps, wondering whether, currently observing a cultural boycott of Israel, you are allowed to watch a film directed by a citizen (indeed, resident) of that country.
This is not the place to debate the moral dynamics of the current conflict in Gaza. The fact remains, however, that an increasing number of voices are calling for just such gestures to be made. One side of the equation is easy enough to simplify. If you approve of the campaign then you should not sing, recite, film or dance in the state of Israel. It’s a small country. This is not likely to damage your bank balance in any dramatic fashion; knock yourself out on moral rectitude.
The other side of the equation is, however, a mess of unresolved functions, chaotic algebra and overloaded denominators. Consider the tribulations that have befallen the Tricycle Theatre in London over the last week or so. The north-London space decided to offer an ultimatum to the UK Jewish Film Festival: if it did not refuse the £1,400 grant it receives from the Israeli embassy, then it would be asked to take its jamboree elsewhere. The UKJFF refused and now must find alternative accommodation. There has been vocal support and noisy disagreement.
Our own Lenny Abrahamson, himself from a Jewish background, felt that the Tricycle had done the right thing. Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, opined: "It is entirely understandable that they felt obliged to insist that no government agency should sponsor the festival."
Elsewhere, columnist Nick Cohen argued that: "The only event [the Tricycle] asks to pass a political test is the Jewish film festival". All this kerfuffle results from one very specific objection: to sponsorship from the Israeli embassy. This pulls up a long way short of a full cultural boycott.
Economic boycotts have more measurable impact. If we don’t buy this country’s oranges or that country’s buttons then the respective fruit exporters and clothing manufacturers will see their returns diminish. Cultural boycotts are altogether more slippery. Will the outraged campaigner really feel comfortable about boycotting some liberal film, album or play that argues for understanding between Arab and Jew? Recall the uneasy feeling about boycotts of black African musicians during the apartheid era. Shunning Israeli culture may mean shunning legitimate routes to dissent.
At any rate, The Congress shouldn't trouble any but the most rigorous of current campaigners. A French-German-Belgian-Polish co-production, the film does not appear to have received any significant funding from the Israeli state. Folman's politics are impeccably liberal. You may view the film. Now move along.
