Out On Screen commits to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

Out On Screen commits to the international call by Palestinians for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and specifically to adhere to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) guidelines.

The BDS movement works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

In keeping with PACBI guidelines, Out On Screen will not collaborate with Israeli cultural or academic institutions and will not present or support cultural products commissioned by an official Israeli body or that serve to promote or normalize Israel’s occupation of Palestine. This is also in line with the Liberatory Demand from Queers in Palestine of November 2023.

Learn more about PACBI guidelines at bdsmovement.net/pacbi

Out On Screen’s support for Palestine and rejection of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid is a direct extension of our vision for an equitable society where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are respected, valued, and protected across all our intersections of identity.

We reject all forms of racism, including anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and any form of discrimination against individuals on the basis of their identity, including ability, citizenship, race, religion, gender, and sexuality.

We encourage you to learn more about PACBI guidelines, which focus on boycotting institutions and organizations–rather than targeting individuals–that are complicit in Israel’s systemic oppression of Palestinians.

Out On Screen rejects pinkwashing and homonationalism in any context. We fundamentally oppose the practice of using cultural products like film to promote and normalize occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid.

This commitment will create more rigour in our processes and practices, and ensure this work continues in future.

The Out On Screen team will receive training to evaluate film entries in a nuanced and critical manner that complies with PACBI guidelines and aligns with the Vancouver Queer Film Festival’s curatorial focus on authentic stories centering 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences.