Paramount has become the first major studio to publicly criticise a boycott of Israeli film institutions, after more than 4,000 film industry professionals pledged not to work with organisations they accuse of complicity in “genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.
The pledge, circulated by the group Film Workers for Palestine, has been signed by directors and actors including Jonathan Glazer, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Olivia Colman and Mark Ruffalo. It cites a ruling by the International Court of Justice that there is a “plausible risk of genocide in Gaza” and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid are unlawful.
In a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times, Paramount said: “We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli film-makers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace.” The studio, recently acquired by the family of billionaire Larry Ellison and private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners, argued that the entertainment industry should encourage artists to tell their stories globally.
Film Workers for Palestine responded that the boycott targets “complicit Israeli film institutions and companies”, not individuals based on identity. The group noted Ellison’s close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called on Israeli institutions to end complicity in “genocide and apartheid” to work with signatories, adding that almost none have done so.
The pledge draws inspiration from the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, stating: “We pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions … that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
