VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Queer Film Festival has revised its sponsorship and advertising policy after being criticized for accepting an ad that included an Israeli flag.

The VQFF came under fire last summer for an advertisement by Yad b’Yad, a Vancouver-based group that supports the Jewish LGBTQ community. The ad, which appeared in a printed festival guidebook, depicted an Israeli flag alongside a pride flag and was congratulating VQFF on its 26th anniversary. 

Out on Screen, which runs the Aug. 13-23 festival, announced a revision of its policy in an open letter to the community last month. “The issue that is of paramount importance to some members of our community is the festival’s stance on Israel,” the April 23 letter said. “There has been incredible and polarized debate regarding our choices when we’ve presented queer Israeli film, or when we’ve published advertising from a local group that presents the Israeli flag alongside a Pride flag.”

The organization’s policy now prohibits advertisements depicting “overt expressions of nationalism,” including flags. The VQFF also says it will refuse funding from foreign governments, consulates or embassies, except for filmmakers’ travel expenses. 

The revised policy was a direct response to accusations of “pinkwashing” levelled against the VQFF for its inclusion of the Yad b’Yad ad last year. Three filmmakers withdrew their films from the festival, and they and other protesters criticized the festival for trying to distract attention from the plight of Palestinians in Israel by focusing instead on Israel’s gay rights record. They demanded that the festival apologize for the ad, develop a “pinkwashing” policy and join the BDS campaign against Israel.

In its revised policy, Out on Screen refused to join the BDS movement, but said it would follow its own “anti-oppression framework” to determine its advertising and sponsorship policies and film curation. 

Jonathan Lerner, spokesperson for Yad b’Yad, said his organization was deeply disappointed by the policy changes. “This prevents any nationality from expressing its own identity and support for the Queer Film Festival and curtails all national groups from demonstrating their country’s pride for the LGBTQ community,” he said. 

“This is a policy of institutionalized censorship that does little to promote inclusivity, diversity and understanding and is contrary to the broad values expressed by LGBTQ communities in Canada and around the world.”

Last year, Yad b’Yad was among a few religious and ethnic sponsors listed in the program. Others were Salaam: Queer Muslim Community of Canada and the South Asian Film Education Society. At the time, Lerner said the VQFF took the unprecedented step of donating Yad b’Yad’s advertising fee to a third party. “They publicly stated they would not accept our money, and we were the only group treated as such,” he said.

Since last August, he added, Yad b’Yad and Vancouver’s Jewish community leadership have tried to engage the VQFF in dialogue to resolve this matter. “Each and every attempt was rejected and dismissed,” he said. 

As a result of the revised policy, only Israeli filmmakers who demonstrate “critical dialogues about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli occupation” will be allowed to contribute to the festival, he noted. 

“The VQFF has proactively and very publicly weighed into the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Lerner said. “Its specific policies are aimed at silencing proud supporters of the LGBTQ community and of Israel, all while remaining silent on the plight of gays and lesbians in places such as Iran, Syria, China and even the Palestinian Authority. One can only judge the VQFF by its very public actions and obvious inactions.”

Shana Myara, director of festival programming for Out on Screen, said in a statement to The CJN that the organization’s “role in convening dialogue is not always easy, but it is essential.  This process has enabled us to reflect on and clarify how we step up in ways to make space for everyone, and to curate with an eye towards those most often erased from the mainstream.” 

She added: “We now have stronger policies that will enable us to make sure all our partnerships reflect our values and allow us to focus on bringing people together through film – to put artists and their work forward to advance a more open, inclusive society.”

She said the only funding the VQFF has received from consular sources was from the German Consulate, which gave less than $1,000 for its German film screenings.