Overview

• Several artists, including Basma Alsharif, Jumana Manna, and Sky Hopinka, have withdrawn their work from the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) due to the festival's response to a protest supporting Palestine.
• The IDFA has faced controversy since its opening, particularly over its artistic director, Orwa Nyrabia, applauding a protest where attendees chanted a slogan seen as polarizing and potentially antisemitic.
• The festival issued an apology for the chant, calling it a 'hurtful slogan' that does not represent the IDFA, leading to further backlash and withdrawals from artists who saw the apology as damaging.
• The Palestinian Film Institute has also pulled out from all organized activities at the IDFA film market, and staged a demonstration outside the IDFA headquarters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Nyrabia has stated that he respects the decisions of all filmmakers to withdraw their films, and that the festival aims to be an open platform for all voices.