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Jewish filmmaker Gary Sinyor, winner of a Charles Chaplin Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for the 1992 comedy Leon the Pig Farmer, announced his decision to return the award in an article in The Independent.   His statement came after the current year’s organisers had apparently given in to demands by Palestinian campaign group Socialist Unity which were endorsed by director Ken Loach that a £300 donation made by the Israeli embassy to cover the travel expenses of Tali Shalom-Ezer, a film studies graduate from Tel Aviv university whose short non-political film Surrogate was due to premiere at the festival.  The outcry forced the EIFF to return the donation and finance Ms Shalom-Ezer’s journey from its own budget.

In the article, Sinyor accused Loach of being a blackmailer, a hypocrite and an extremist and wrote, ‘Today I am writing to the Edinburgh Film Festival and asking for my name to be taken off their records. I am removing Winner, Best British Film, Edinburgh 1992, from my CV. If I could cut the award in half and send it back, I would… Ken Loach took it upon himself publicly to endorse the boycott of the entire Edinburgh Film Festival to make his views doubly clear... It's a shame that Ken feels particularly strong about not having anything to do with Israel or Israeli money. It's a shame because clearly some Israelis obviously like Ken.’

Noting the fact that Loach’s films were distributed in Israel, Sinyor said, ‘Is he happy to take the money or does the thought that it may have paid for a tank or bullet keep him awake? When a two-state solution comes, will Ken rejoice, or will he stamp his feet in frustration?’

When asked for his response to Sinyor’s comments, Loach said, ‘I don't respond to personal attacks. I would urge Gary Sinyor and others to look at the facts of the boycott.’

Loach also forwarded a copy of an open letter which he wrote to Shalom-Ezer which said, ‘To be crystal clear, as a film-maker, you will receive a warm welcome in Edinburgh. You are not censored or rejected. The opposition was to the festival's taking money from the Israeli state.’

Writing about Loach’s actions in her blog, 31-year-old Tali Shalom-Ezer said, ‘Generalising all citizens of Israel as warmongers and racists is racism and outrageous, and as members of the peace camp we are personally hurt by it.’

Announcing that he was to launch a review of the situation, Iain Smith, the chairman of EIFF said, ‘I apologise sincerely for the distress. Clearly we didn't appreciate enough that our festival cannot keep itself entirely detached from serious geopolitical issues.’

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