Films challenging dominant Zionist narratives have long faced bans, funding cuts, and smear campaigns from Israeli officials and right-wing activists alike.
A pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions has quickly racked up the signatures of over 4,500 actors, directors, and other film workers from around the world. Launched on Sept. 8 by the group Film Workers for Palestine, the pledge commits signatories — who include Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Javier Bardem, and Ilana Glazer — not to work with Israeli production companies, broadcasters, cinemas, or festivals deemed to be complicit in apartheid and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Hitting back, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar described the boycott as “cynical and detached,” vowing that “Israeli film culture will continue to flourish, touch hearts, and succeed around the world.” Yet in truth, many Israeli filmmakers and institutions have already been facing boycotts and attempts at silencing for a long time — from the Israeli government itself.
Just last week, Zohar announced that he was pulling funding from the Ophir Awards, Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars. This was after the top prize went to Shai Carmeli-Pollak’s “The Sea,” which tells the story of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy from the West Bank who tries to visit the beach for the first time but is stopped at an Israeli military checkpoint.
“Starting with the 2026 budget, this pathetic ceremony will no longer be funded by taxpayers’ money,” Zohar declared. “Under my watch, Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for a ceremony that spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers.”
This was only the latest in a long history of right-wing attempts to silence critical Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, which has ramped up steadily over the past two decades, particularly vis-a-vis documentaries that challenge the dominant Zionist narrative. While these films rarely achieve commercial success, their impact has been amplified through earning recognition at some of the world’s most prestigious cinematic venues — from Berlinale, Sundance, and Venice, to the Peabodys, Emmys, and Oscars. (more...)
Israel decries Hollywood boycott — while silencing its own critical filmmakers
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