More than 1,200 entertainment industry figures have signed an open letter rejecting a recent pledge by thousands of their peers to boycott Israeli films over the war in Gaza. The letter, released by nonprofit bodies Creative Community for Peace and The Brigade, argues that the boycott advocates for 'the erasure of art' and is based on misinformation.
Stars including Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Debra Messing have lent their names to the letter. It states: 'We know the power of film. We know the power of story. That is why we cannot stay silent when a story is turned into a weapon, when lies are dressed up as justice, and when artists are misled into amplifying antisemitic propaganda.'
The letter accuses the initial pledge, circulated by Film Workers for Palestine and signed by stars including Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman and Mark Ruffalo, of being 'a document of misinformation that advocates for arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art'. It adds that censoring voices trying to find common ground is 'wrong, ineffective and a form of collective punishment'.
The open letter highlights that much of the Israeli film and TV industry are 'often the loudest critics of government policy' and are frequently penalised for it. It cites the example of the Israeli film 'The Sea', about a Palestinian boy who risks death to go to the beach in Tel Aviv, which won Israel's academy awards and was submitted to the Oscars, prompting the Israeli sports and culture minister to vow to cut funding from the awards.
Debra Messing said in a statement: 'When artists boycott fellow artists based solely on their country of origin, it is blatant discrimination and a betrayal of our role as storytellers.' The initial pledge, published on 8 September, has now been signed by around 5,000 professionals who vowed not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are 'implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people'.
