Palestine: Last News

A small pro-Palestine protest formed outside Series Mania in France on Tuesday.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Belgian filmmaker Sofie Benoot‘s “Apple Cider Vinegar,” which has its world premiere in the International Competition section of Visions du Réel, has been picked up for world sales by Filmotor. The trailer and poster are being released exclusively by Variety. The film is narrated by actor Sian Phillips, who appeared in “I, Claudius” and David Lynch’s “Dune,” and is a veteran nature documentary narrator.

SE SO NEON have apologised for performing at SXSW performance amid a boycott over the festival’s sponsorship by the US Department of Defense.Two days after their SXSW set on March 16 in Austin, Texas, SE SO NEON addressed their decision to move ahead with the performance in a statement was issued via the band’s Instagram Stories earlier today (March 18), addressing the controversy.“We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest regret and apologies for the disappointment and distress that has been caused regarding our participation in SXSW,” the band wrote. They added that they were “unaware of the US military’s involvement” with the festival “due to the lack of coverage of Gaza-related news in Korea”.SE SO NEON also added that they were in the dark about “SXSW’s involvement and the act of the boycott”.

“The Zone of Interest,” revealed Friday that he does not support the acceptance speech made by director Jonathan Glazer at the 2024 Oscars. In the speech, Glazer, 58 drew parallels between Nazi Germany and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta has shut down claims that Celtic fans are to blame for Liel Abada leaving the club - as he conceded his Major League Soccer side should NOT have been able to sign the winger.

In a sign that the Eurovision Song Contest is becoming ever more political as we head towards the competition in May, a London cinema has announced that it will not be screening the Grand Final unless Israel is banned from taking part.

Naman Ramachandran London’s biggest screening party for the Eurovision Song Contest finals has been canceled, the venue Rio Cinema and organizer Eurovision Party London have said. “Following discussion with the organizers of Eurovision Party London, we have collectively decided not to screen the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year while Israel remains in the competition,” the Rio Cinema said in a statement on X.

An aid worker has revealed the horror being suffered by children and families on the frontline of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Brian Eno, Nadine Shah and Maxine Peake will be among the performers at a special benefit event in support of Palestine at London’s Union Chapel on April 18. The show, which is titled Sumud and promises “a fundraising evening of music, spoken word and film for Palestine”, will be hosted by Amos Trust and Palestine Music Expo, and tickets are available here. All proceeds will go to Amos Trust’s emergency appeal for Gaza.

Cardinals, Chalk, Enola Gay, Gurriers and NewDad, gathered at downtown Austin’s Velveeta Room to show solidarity with Palestine amid the ongoing war in Gaza. This came after it was revealed last week that the US Army was a “super sponsor” of the music, film, culture and tech festival as well as defence contractor RTX (Raytheon), which has supplied weapons to Israel.The venue was previously set to host the Music For Ireland showcase, while as per a report from Nialler9, Belfast’s Enola Gay were booked to play a separate, UK-led event via PRS funding.

R3 Soundsystem’s House Against Hate, which will be a mobile unit located outside Number 10 this Saturday (March 16).

Gruff Rhys has become the latest artist to pull out of SXSW 2024 in solidarity with Palestine.The Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author was set to appear at this year’s instalment of South By South West, however, has now announced that he will no longer be attending in protest to the “hyper violence inflicted on” those in Gaza.Taking to Facebook, he shared a series of statements explaining his reasons for the decision and announcing two replacement gigs during his time in Austin.“In horror at the hyper violence inflicted on civilians in Gaza and beyond I feel the best use of my platform at the official showcases at SXSW this year is to withdraw my music,” he began. “I’m personally disappointed as I love playing music & the band is in full flow right now.

Christopher Vourlias Palestinian director Hana Elias’ “If These Stones Could Talk,” which follows a Palestinian man’s return to his homeland to restore his family’s ancestral garden, and Argentine filmmaker María Silvia Esteve’s “Mailin,” about a woman’s painful struggle to overcome her childhood trauma, took the top prizes at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s industry award ceremony Wednesday night. During an emotionally charged conclusion to the festival’s Agora strand, in which several filmmakers voiced their strident support for Palestine and called for a ceasefire to the more than five-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a tearful Elias took the stage alongside producer Asmahan Bkerat to receive the top prize in the Agora’s pitching forum, a €10,000 ($10,900) cash prize from the International Emerging Film Talents Assn. (IEFTA).

SXSW has issued a statement about artists and bands pulling out of the festival in support of Palestine.Artists such as NewDad, Cardinals, Enola Gay and others have recently dropped out of the festival due to the event’s association with the US army and weapons companies amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.Yesterday, Texas governor Greg Abbott took to X (formerly Twitter) to write: “Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army Sponsorship. Bye.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and SXSW on Tuesday traded jabs on social media in response to a group of as many as 60 bands who have pulled out of Austin-based festival to protest its sponsor ties to the U.S. Army, as well as its inclusion of defense contractors taking part in some of the fest’s conference programs.

Charlotte Church has revealed that her family have been threatened by “some pretty scary people” over her support of Gaza.On February 26, the singer played at Bedwas Workmen’s Hall in Caerphilly at a concert to raise money for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, which supports children in Gaza. To end the show, she led a choir of 100 singers in a chant of “from the river to the sea”.She received backlash for the use of that phrase as it is politically charged, with some, including the Campaign Against Antisemitism, believing that it calls for the destruction of the state of Israel.Church addressed the backlash in an Instagram livestream stating: “Just to clarify my intentions there, I am in no way anti-Semitic.

NewDad, Cardinals, Enola Gay and Rachel Chinouriri have become the latest artists to boycott this year’s SXSW festival.The artists join the likes of Kneecap, Sprints, Lambrini Girls, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom and Squirrelflower in pulling out of performing at the festival due to the event’s association with the US army and weapons companies amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.The annual music, culture and arts showcase takes place in Austin, Texas from March 12-14.In a joint post on social media, Cardinals, Enola Gay, Gurriers, NewDad and Sprints wrote:“To be clear, we, as ‘Music From Ireland’ bands will be partaking in any official SXSW shows. We stand in complete solidarity with Palestine and others who have spoke out against, and boycotted SXSW.“Sponsorship of the festival from the US army as well as defence contractors/those sending arms to destroy innocent lives is an act we find disgusting and reprehensible.

Eurovision 2024 song lyrics after initially sparking controversy.The country received widespread criticism with their entry this year formerly titled ‘October Rain’. Sung by 20-year-old Eden Golan, the track appeared to contain references to the victims of Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Just minutes before the Oscars were set to begin, the show’s producers realized they had a problem: Some of the year’s key A-listers and nominees weren’t inside the Dolby Theatre just yet. The perfect storm of traffic delays, pro-Palestine protests, the first day of daylight saving time and an earlier start time had contributed to the last-minute crunch. “We were definitely stressed out, because we had to have certain celebrities in their seats,” Oscars producer Molly McNearney — also an EP on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” — tells Variety on Monday morning.

Kneecap and Sprints are the latest artists to announce their withdrawal from this year’s South By Southwest Festival in solidarity with Palestine.The Irish artists join the likes of Lambrini Girls, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom and Squirrelflower in pulling out of performing at the festival due to the event’s association with the US army and weapons companies amid the Israel-Palestine conflict.The annual music, culture and arts showcase takes place in Austin, Texas from March 12-14.Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap shared in a statement yesterday (March 10) that their decision to not perform was made “in solidarity with the people of Palestine”.They also highlighted the “unacceptable deep links” the festival had to the US army – which is a “super sponsor” of the event – and defence contractor RTX Corporation, which has supplied weapons to Israel.The group added that the US military and other platformed weapons companies who are “at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population”.The band continued that their decision would have a “significant financial impact” on them, but that it wasn’t “an iota of hardship when compared with the unimaginable suffering being inflicted every minute of every day on the people of Gaza”.A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)Kneecap also cited the platforming of collins Aerospace and BAE Systems as a reason for their boycott, adding that collectively with RTX, the companies were selling the weapons that have “murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them women and children”.Sprints made their own statement this morning (March 11) in which they announced their withdrawal, writing: “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and as a stand against the US Army

Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, were among those who donned red "Artists4Ceasefire" pins at the 96th Academy Awards, as they joined calls for peace in the Middle East. And the Best Original Song winners weren't the only celebs who chose to wear these pins. Poor Things actor Ramy Youssef also donned a red pin.Talking to reporters ahead of the awards ceremony, he said: "We're calling for immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.