For the first time since the Haifa International Film Festival’s inception in 1983, the event’s directors have been unable to persuade leading movie stars to take part in the festival, which will be held this year Sept. 22 to Oct. 1. Israel’s first international festival is far from being the only such event to receive notable rejections by invited guests. The Jerusalem Film Festival, held earlier, in July and August, suffered the same fate.

The organizers of the Jerusalem festival offered a long list of directors and producers the opportunity to screen their new films but often received negative replies. They were told that the time wasn’t right to visit, as the city stands at the epicenter of a tempest. A few noted that the actions of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement had not frightened them off, because in principle, they would go to other cities in Israel. What bothered them was that participating in a film festival held adjacent to the City of David, an archaeological site near the Western Wall, could be interpreted as a political statement, as recognizing the city as the capital of Israel.

The Jerusalem organizers opted to keep quiet about the long list of rejections in the hope that things might improve next year. Perhaps the transfer of the US Embassy to the city in May of this year and ensuing Palestinian protests and international condemnation will be forgotten over time. Then, perhaps, they can rekindle interest in one of the world’s most highly regarded festivals of the international film industry.

Now it turns out that even the organizers of the established, prestigious festival in Haifa were also unable to convince well-known directors and actors to come to their mixed city. Instead, an honorary title will be bestowed on Zbigniew Preisner, who composed the music for the films of the acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. Preisner will attend the festival and receive the prize for his exceptional cultural contribution to world cinema.