Over 1,200 Hollywood figures, including Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy and Palme d’Or winners, have signed a pledge refusing to collaborate with Israeli film institutions accused of complicity in genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.
The open letter, published by the group Film Workers for Palestine, features signatures from high-profile actors such as Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Cynthia Nixon, Gael Garcia Bernal, Joe Alwyn, Josh O’Connor, Lily Gladstone, Ayo Edebiri, Hannah Einbinder, Paapa Essiedu, Melissa Barrera and Peter Sarsgaard.
Notable filmmakers on the list include Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Adam McKay, Mike Leigh, Joshua Oppenheimer, Boots Riley and Emma Seligman. Since going public, the pledge has attracted more than 3,000 industry signatures globally.
The statement underscores the responsibility of cinema in shaping perceptions. “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,” it reads. “We pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions — including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies — that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” the letter says.
The pledge specifically targets Israeli festivals, broadcasters, cinemas, and production companies alleged to have decades-old and ongoing involvement in “whitewashing, denying and justifying Israel’s war crimes,” including the Jerusalem Film Festival and Haifa International Film Festiva which “continue(s) to partner with the Israeli government while it carries out what leading experts have defined as genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” However, it clarifies that the boycott applies only to institutions, not individuals, and encourages film workers to follow guidelines set by Palestinian civil society. It reads, “The call is for film workers to refuse to work with Israeli institutions that are complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinian people. This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity.”
In response, Tzvika Gottlieb, CEO of the Israeli Film & TV Producers Association, criticised the move and said, “We are the industry that (has been) struggling for years, making efforts for decades to promote discussion,” working with Palestinians and Israelis to tell the story of the conflict from all sides.
Film Workers for Palestine said the action is inspired by historic cultural boycotts, such as those against apartheid South Africa. “Should Israeli film institutions wish to continue working with pledge signatories, their choice is clear: end complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid, and endorse the full rights of the Palestinian people under international law, in line with Palestinian civil society guidelines,” the group stated.“To date, almost none has.”
