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(JTA) -- A group of filmmakers are planning to pull their movies from a Canadian film festival in protest of Israel.

Director John Greyson and several others say they will withdraw their films from the Toronto International Film Festival because of the event's weeklong homage to Israeli cinema, Ha'aretz reported.

The group, which includes the left-wing writer and activist Naomi Klein, said it was not protesting the participation of Israeli films per se, but rather the specific "spotlight" on them, which they said celebrated Israeli culture while ignoring the "brutal occupation."

In an interview, Greyson drew comparisons between contemporary Israel and apartheid South Africa and the segregated American South.