Annette Insdorf is synonymous with Columbia University, where she served as professor of cinema since 1987 and has served as director of undergraduate film studies for decades. A former translator for François Truffaut, she is also a longtime host of the 92nd Street Y’s “Reel Pieces” series., the author of numerous important works on cinema (notably Indelible Shadows: Cinema and the Holocaust) and a regular presence at film festivals like Cannes and Telluride.
Insdorf agreed to share with The Hollywood Reporter his take on the recent unrest on Columbia’s campus over the Israel-Gaza conflict, which over the past 24 hours has resulted in NYPD attacks Hamilton Hall (which had been occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators), which gave rise to numerous arrests.
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Things have indeed been tense on the Columbia University campus, but I’m trying to keep a healthy perspective. Given that the number of protesters is only a tiny fraction of the student population, I feel like the media has exaggerated the situation, especially when focusing on the protests. out the door. Journalists were covering the loudest, most dramatic voices, not the majority who quietly do our jobs.
I share Columbia’s core values of freedom of expression, mutual respect among diverse groups, and civil discourse that demonstrates insight and empathy. I therefore appreciated President Minouche Shafik’s rejection of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia – from last October until today.
My priority has been to teach and support my students. Inside campus, the mostly peaceful protests of recent weeks have not disrupted my classes. Last week, almost all the students were present, whether at my seminar on Kieslowski’s films or at my lecture course “Analysis of Cinematographic Language”. Their concerns were closer to home, such as whether the protests could lead to the cancellation of graduation ceremonies (like USC’s) or the annual Columbia MFA Student Film Showcase in early May.
A painful new chapter began yesterday after Hamilton Hall was occupied by protesters who barricaded themselves inside. Watching the news on TV last night, I couldn’t help but flash back to 1968, and specifically to Kent State 44 years ago. Fortunately, there was no evidence that any students were harmed by the NYPD. I was relieved to find that the police behaved with much more respect than the National Guard, who beat student protesters decades ago.
Over the past few months, at Columbia and elsewhere, valid concerns should have become conversations, but they have turned into confrontations. I do not envy President Shafik, who must balance the constitutional guarantee of the right to protest with the essential educational mission of a university.
