Representatives of the Israeli film industry are redoubling efforts to caution against the wisdom of a pledge signed by some 1,800 significant professionals vowing not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.
The pledge, announced on Monday, was initially signed by 1,200 film-makers including Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer; and actors Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Ayo Edebiri, Riz Ahmed, Josh O’Connor, Cynthia Nixon, Julie Christie, Ilana Glazer, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Lou Wood and Debra Winger.
A further 600 film professionals have joined their number since then, including Jonathan Glazer, Emma Stone and James Schamus, Peter Sarsgaard and Lily Gladstone.
“As film-makers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognise the power of cinema to shape perceptions,” the pledge reads. “In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.”
But representatives of Israeli cinema are now speaking out against the move, which takes inspiration from the cultural boycott that contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa. In a statement shared with the Guardian on Tuesday, Nadav Ben Simon, chairman of the Israeli screenwriters’ guild, said he found calls to “boycott Israeli creators” deeply troubling and counterproductive.
“For decades, Israeli creators, artists, and storytellers – myself included – have devoted our work to reflecting the complexity of our reality,” he wrote. “We have consistently given voice to Palestinian narratives, criticism of government policies, and the diverse perspectives that shape our society.
“Over the years, we have also collaborated with Palestinian colleagues on films, series, and documentaries that seek to encourage dialogue, mutual understanding, peace, and an end to violence.
“Calls to boycott Israeli creators are deeply troubling. They do not advance the cause of peace. Instead, they harm precisely those who are committed to fostering dialogue and building bridges between peoples. Such measures risk silencing the very voices striving tirelessly for reconciliation and understanding.”
The pledge commits signatories not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with what it considers complicit institutions – including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies. Examples of complicity include “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them”.
“We answer the call of Palestinian film-makers, who have urged the international film industry to refuse silence, racism, and dehumanisation, as well as to ‘do everything humanly possible’ to end complicity in their oppression,” the statement reads.
However, Simon counters that he had his “fellow creators” remain “steadfast … in the belief that stories are powerful tools for empathy, healing, and connection. We will continue to use our craft to promote dialogue and to strive for an end to violence and the achievement of a just and lasting peace for all who live in our region. Above all, I join the urgent call for an immediate end to the war and for the safe return of all the hostages to their homes and families.
“In times like these, we as creators must be devoted to amplifying the light, not deepening the darkness.”
In a later note, Simon sought to clarify that “in Israel, there is no such thing as boycotting institutions without affecting creators. In small countries with a unique language, like Israel, almost all original creative work – especially in cinema – is supported by public funding. There are very few Israeli films that are not funded in some way by state-budgeted institutions or foundations. Therefore, any boycott of Israeli institutions is inevitably and directly a boycott of all Israeli creators and Israeli artistic output.”
Simon’s statement was echoed in a separate joint statement sent to the Guardian by Lior Elefant, of the Israeli documentary forum, and Merav Etrog Bar, of the Israeli directors guild, who said that creatives were being erroneously conflated with representatives of the Israeli government.
“Film-makers in Israel have given voice to complex stories, particularly regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, often including direct criticism of state institutions and their representatives,” their statement read.
“Many of the films and series, both documentary and narrative, produced in Israel have dealt with this subject with sensitivity, fairness, and critical thinking; there are thousands of examples of this. While Israeli film-makers are not their government, we bear responsibility for its actions and find ourselves caught between a rock and a hard place: on one side, attempts at silencing from within, and on the other, international boycott from abroad.”
They added: “In addition to the many direct victims, the war in Gaza is also burying international collaborations in Israeli culture and cinema. The boycott of Israeli filmmakers and their works has been felt for some time, and now, unfortunately, it is only growing stronger. As we have publicly stated before, we, together with the majority of the Israeli public, call for the immediate and safe release of the hostages, and for an end to the war, the killing, and the suffering on both sides of the border.
Since publication of the pledge on Monday, the Israeli Producers Association also issued a statement saying that “the signatories of this petition are targeting the wrong people”.
“For decades, we Israeli artists, storytellers and creators have been the primary voices allowing audiences to hear and witness the complexity of the conflict, including Palestinian narratives and criticism of Israeli state policies. We work with Palestinian creators, telling our shared stories and promoting peace and an end to violence through thousands of films, TV series, and documentaries.
“This call for boycott is profoundly misguided. By targeting us – the creators who give voice to diverse narratives and foster dialogue – these signatories are undermining their own cause and attempting to silence us. This shortsighted act seeks to eliminate precisely the collaborative efforts working toward ending violence and achieving peace. We will not allow this and will push back in our efforts to end violence and bring just peace to our region for the benefit of all,” they added.
Meanwhile, Avigail Sperber, an Israeli film-maker celebrated by her country’s government, wrote on Facebook of her initial horror at the pledge, before reconsidering her response and concluding that the cost to domestic cinema was negligible compared to that of the current conflict.
“The initial, natural response,” [to seeing the Guardian story], she wrote, “was offence and shock. After all, most of us are opposed to this war and the atrocities in the West Bank and Gaza. We create critical art, sign petitions, go to demonstrations. So why are we the target?”
Sperber then largely rejected the Producers’ Association’s subsequent repudiation of the pledge, because “as long as these atrocities are carried out in our name, we’re not doing enough. The responsibility is on us, too. And at a moment when I feel helpless, I’m hoping the world succeeds. That they do whatever it takes to force the Israeli government to stop this horrible war. To stop selling us weapons, to recognize a Palestinian state, to break the siege on Gaza.
“And yes, our films will be harmed, too. But the cost is worth the chance of ending this bloodshed and starting to heal this bleeding region.”
Sperber then put forward an alternative stance she would prefer her country’s industry bodies to adopt:
“Thank you, dear colleagues around the world. Thank you for not remaining indifferent to atrocity. Thank you for backing us up, those of us who can’t change this reality on our own. We hope that, with your help, we will succeed in ending this war.”
The original pledge, published by the group Film Workers for Palestine, says “the vast majority of Israeli film production and distribution companies, sales agents, cinemas and other film institutions have never endorsed the full, internationally recognised rights of the Palestinian people”.
It also notes that there are “a few Israeli film entities that are not complicit” and advises following “guidelines set by Palestinian civil society”.
Cinemas in Israel currently generate an estimated $80m of box office revenue, with US blockbusters for the majority of that sum. The domestic industry also drives ticket sales, with period drama Soda and thriller Highway 65 attracting audiences this year.
Breakout films that appeal internationally are more scarce but not insignificant. Titles to have attracted praise at film festivals globally include Late Marriage, Turn Left at the End of the World and Synonyms, Nadav Lapid’s drama, which won Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2019. Two years later, his followup, Ahed’s Knee, shared the Jury prize at Cannes.
In 2011, the Oscar for best short documentary was won by Israel’s Strangers No More, while two years later saw both The Gatekeepers and 5 Broken Cameras, a Palestinian-Israeli-French co-production, nominated for best documentary feature.
Meanwhile Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit (2007) and Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir (2008) both attracted praise from critics within Israel and worldwide.
Notable names not to appear on the petition include the directors of No Other Land, the Israeli-Palestinian co-production which documented the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta, a region in the occupied West Bank targeted by Israeli forces. The film won the Oscar for best documentary earlier this year.
The Guardian has contacted them for comment, as well as other film-makers whose names do not appear but who have spoken publicly about the conflict, including Hiam Abbass, Sacha Baron Cohen, Shira Haas, Natalie Portman, Gal Gadot, Ari Folman and László Nemes.
Source link
