Palestinian festival drops screening of Lebanon’s The Insult film

A Palestinian film festival on Sunday cancelled the screening of a movie by a Lebanese-French director following pressure by activists who opposed his previous work in Israel.

A Palestinian film festival on Sunday cancelled the screening of a movie by a Lebanese-French director following pressure by activists who opposed his previous work in Israel.

The Insult, Lebanon’s Oscar submission, and the latest movie by director Ziad Doueiri was set to close the Palestinian Days of Cinema festival on Monday and was competing for the festival’s top award.

Last month, Doueiri was briefly detained and questioned by Lebanon’s military court on grounds he could have broken the law by filming a movie in Israel several years ago.

Ramallah’s municipal government decided to ban the screening, on the grounds of preventing civil unrest.

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett reports from Ramallah.