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Hollywood stars and famous directors have refused to cooperate with Israeli film institutes that are “complicit in genocide and apartheid against the inhabitants of Palestine.” On the eve of the organization “Film Workers for Palestine” published an open letter signed by more than 4,000 people, including Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy winners. This is reported by NBC News.
“As filmmakers, actors, industry professionals and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions,” the statement said. “At this critical moment of crisis, when many of our governments are allowing the massacre in Gaza, we must do everything we can to combat complicity in this relentless horror.”
According to media reports, the stars who signed the statement will refuse to work with Israeli festivals, cinemas, television companies and production companies that participated in “justifying genocide and apartheid and/or collaborating with the government that perpetrates it.” Among those who supported the initiative were directors Jonathan Glazer, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer, as well as world celebrities Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Nicola Coughlan, Andrew Garfield, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbie Jacobson, Eric Andre, Elliot Page, Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Ayo Edebiri, Riz Ahmed, Josh O’Connor, Cynthia Nixon and others.
At the same time, the organization notes that the initiative does not prohibit film industry representatives from working with Israeli citizens. The boycott is not directed against individual film figures, but against institutions associated with state structures.
The open letter also mentions the decision of the UN International Court of Justice, which in January 2024 recognized that there is a real risk of genocide in Gaza and that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal. In turn, the Israeli Foreign Ministry called these conclusions “one-sided and fundamentally wrong.”
The Hollywood stars’ initiative was part of a broader debate in the United States and Europe about Israel’s actions following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Those who have publicly supported the Palestinians have faced accusations of anti-Semitism. In November 2023, United Talent Agency confirmed that it had dropped Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon after she made statements at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. In the same month, another agency said it had dropped actress Melissa Barrera and her promotion for the film “Scream” after she posted a series of Instagram posts strongly condemning Israel’s actions. In addition, British film director Jonathan Glazer faced severe criticism in 2024 after he condemned the bloodshed in the Middle East in his Oscar acceptance speech.
Film Workers for Palestine notes that the current campaign was modeled after the Cinematographers United Against Apartheid, which refused to distribute films in apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s. Signatories at the time included Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese.
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