Dokukino: Boycott – Between Gesture and Collective Organising

The latest edition of the Critical Dramaturgies programme, organised by SPID, Kurziv and Kino Unseen, hosts a film evening and panel discussion dedicated to the boycott as a political tool of organising, solidarity and resistance. Drawing on the cultural field, the programme raises questions about the possibilities, contradictions and limits of the boycott, and its place in the broader anti-colonial and anti-militarist struggles.

The programme begins with the short film I Signed the Petition by Mahdi Fleifel from 2018. Built around a phone call between two friends after signing a petition calling on Radiohead not to hold a concert in Tel Aviv, the film explores personal doubts, fear of repercussions and the political meaning of the cultural boycott.

This is followed by the video John Berger Reads Ghassan Kanafani's Letter from Gaza, made during the first Palestine Festival of Literature in 2008. Berger reads Kanafani's Letter from Gaza, a text in which a personal letter becomes a testament to life under occupation, the refusal to leave, and the decision to stay with one's own people. Together, these two works raise questions of political responsibility, public stance-taking, and solidarity as a concrete practice.

Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion on the cultural boycott and the possibilities of collective action, featuring dance artist Silvia Marchig, film critic Iva Rosandić, artist and member of the ZSP Belgrade initiative Miloš Miletić, and member of the ZSP Belgrade initiative Jovana Janković. The discussion will be moderated by cultural worker and journalist Dunja Kučinac.

Admission is free.