The Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF), currently underway through Sept. 22, supports BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and will not work with Israeli cultural institutions or show films “commissioned by an official Israeli body,” according to a statement released by Out On Screen, the organization that runs the popular annual event.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has nonetheless remained the primary corporate sponsor of VQFF, even though protesters at the recent Toronto International Film Festival disrupted the opening night screening for reasons partly related to RBC doing business with companies holding Israeli defence contracts.

The group said in its May 7 statement that it will adhere to the guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), which means that the festival “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.”

In its spring announcement, Out On Screen voiced its support for Palestine and renounced what it called “settler-colonialism and apartheid.”  Its views, the statement read, were “a direct extension of our vision for an equitable society where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are respected, valued, and protected across all our intersections of identity.”

The group said that it repudiated all forms of racism, including antisemitism, and encouraged people to learn more about PACBI guidelines, which, Out On Screen stated, are focused “on boycotting institutions and organizations—rather than targeting individuals—that are complicit in Israel’s systemic oppression of Palestinians.”

Further, in its statement Out On Screen rejected “pinkwashing,” a term used to refer a corporate or political entity that promotes positive LBGTQ messaging in an effort to cover up a negative practice, which in this case is “using cultural products like film to promote and normalize occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid.”

The film festival’s political stance is being criticized by Jewish advocacy groups, who called it discriminatory and divisive.

“Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks committed by Hamas, members of the Vancouver Jewish community have come under increased pressure. We were saddened by Out On Screen’s commitment to PACBI, which will marginalize many from our community who are seeking spaces where both their Jewish and 2SLGBTQIA+ identities can be embraced,” Nico Slobinsky, vice-president of the Pacific Region for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told The CJN.

“For the organization to be truly inclusive they should rescind this discriminatory decision,” he added.

B’nai Brith Canada had a similar response.

“The Vancouver Queer Film Festival presents itself as, ‘an equitable society where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are respected, valued, and protected across all our intersections of identity.’ However, by aligning with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the VQFF is taking a partisan position on a complex geo-political issue and is having the opposite effect. They are dividing Vancouver’s queer community, and alienating queer Jews,” said Aron Csaplaros, regional manager for B’nai Brith Canada. 

JQT, a volunteer-run Jewish queer and trans non-profit in Vancouver, declined to speak about the film festival’s politics, saying the organization has a policy of not commenting on Israel/Palestine related issues.

“We recognize the diversity and validity of Jewish perspectives on this topic and our focus is to create safety and connection for all queer Jews through our shared Jewish values. JQT’s work does not intersect with Israel/Palestine politics and we are focused on our mission of queering Jewish spaces and Jewifying queer spaces,” read a statement provided by board chair Aviva Rathbone.

“Simply because JQT is a Jewish organization does not mean we are required to take a stance on or make a statement on issues outside of the scope of our work.”

In the weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, Out On Screen issued a statement that condemned Israel for the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the “genocide” of the Palestinian people.

VQFF had been criticized for pinkwashing in the past. In 2014, some directors withdrew their films from the festival because VQFF had accepted an advertisement from Yad b’Yad LGBTQ, a Vancouver group that promoted education on Jewish and Israeli issues as they relate to the LGBTQ community.

In the 2024 VQFF program, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QUAIA) Vancouver was listed among those who received ‘special thanks.’ On May 8, QUAIA wrote on Instagram that its members had delivered training to VQFF staff and that it was “thrilled” the festival was committed to PACBI.

Started in 1989, VQFF is the second-largest film festival in Vancouver and the largest LBGTQ arts event in Western Canada.  This year’s event will feature 97 films from 25 countries, as well as in-person events with local artists, meetings with filmmakers and workshops. 

VQFF offers audiences both in-person and province-wide digital programming. An estimated 12,000 people are expected to attend this year’s film festival.

In addition to VQFF, Out On Screen also oversees Out In Schools, an educational program in British Columbia aimed mostly at high school students that uses film and video to address homophobia, transphobia and bullying. According to Out On Screen, its educational program reaches close to 14,000 students in nearly all the school districts in the province.