TV documentary body backtracks on patronage decision after antisemitism claims
Grierson Trust confirms it has withdrawn the role from Asif Kapadia after being alerted to posts relating to Israel he had shared on social media
A documentary charity has withdrawn the offer of a patronage to film director Asif Kapadia following a backlash over his sharing of social media posts deemed to be antisemitic.
The Grierson Trust confirmed the decision on Friday, after Jewish News reported concerns raised by leading Jewish figures in the industry about posts shared by Kapadia, best known for directing the documentary Amy, about the singer Amy Winehouse, and Senna, a film about the Brazilian racing driver.
Among a series of posts shared by Kapadia was a cartoon of Benjamin Netanyahu dining at a blood-stained table in the rubble of Gaza, with the caption “kosher” at the top of the image.
Other posts included the image of a scene from Schindler’s List in which Ralph Fiennes’ Amon Göth shoots concentration camp prisoners from a balcony.
The image was captioned: “Do you remember this scene from Schindler’s List? The same thing is happening in real time. They are Nazis.”
Kapadia had beenmade a Patron of the Grierson Trust, along with Louis Theroux and Dorothy Byrne earlier this week.anger
In a statement released by the Grierson Trust it was confirmed:”Since the Grierson Trust announced that Asif Kapadia had been appointed as one of our patrons, some social media posts shared by him have been drawn to our attention which are antisemitic.
“As a result, at an 8am board meeting this morning, we took the decision to rescind his role as patron of the Trust. When we made the decision to appoint Mr Kapadia, the board was not aware of these posts, some of which appear to be no longer available, and we are sorry that our due diligence was not thorough enough.
“The Grierson Trust is deeply committed to promoting both freedom of speech and diversity and inclusion in the documentary industry. Whilst we accept and support that everyone has a legitimate right to express their views on controversial issues, this cannot justify racist statements or behaviour. As we have stressed in the past and will continue to uphold, the Trust has a zero tolerance approach to racism of all kinds.”
Leo Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73, had been among those to share screenshots of posts shared by Kapadia.While Neil Grant, executive producer of 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room, said the decision by the Trust to announce that Kapadia was one of three new patrons had caused “enormous offense.”
The Grierson Trust’s other patrons include Sir David Attenborough, Nick Broomfield, Kim Longinotto, Charlotte Moore, Norma Percy, and Sir Grayson Perry.
They are tasked with “lending their knowledge, influence and contacts to help bolster the charity’s work in fostering a strong, vibrant and diverse community of documentary filmmakers.”
Commenting on Kapadia’s appointment earlier this week, Grierson chair Lorraine Heggessey said: “Asif has elevated the feature documentary genre, drawing millions of people in to watch films on the big screen around the world.”
In November 2023 the Trust banned a female from its events for 10 years after they approached three Jewish people at last year’s awards to confront them about the Israel-Gaza conflict, making remarks that were alleged to be antisemitic