As the war in the Gaza Strip wears on, the conversation has shifted from whether the war is justified to simply who is complicit. One industry that was strangely silent was the entertainment industry, and now the international film community has decided they will no longer stay quiet. More than 1,000 filmmakers have signed a letter pledging they will no longer participate in productions involving Israeli companies complicit in the war.
The debate about what to even call the war in Gaza — genocide or not — is still ongoing. In a sense, these are unprecedented times, and some members of the entertainment industry didn’t immediately know how to carry themselves in this situation. Hollywood, by and large, presents itself as progressive, but that’s not always a position it maintains when push comes to shove.
Considering Donald Trump has been emboldening every decision the Benjamin Netanyahu regime has been orchestrating — not just in Gaza but across the wider Middle East — people expected the celebrities they love to speak up. Yet most of the entertainment industry continued their uncoordinated vow of silence, and fans expressed outrage whenever a musician or actor held an event in Israel.
Unlike apartheid in South Africa, which legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese was a loud proponent of standing up against in the 1980s, this situation presented a double-edged sword for entertainers who risked being accused of anti-Semitism.
There’s a vast difference between what Kanye West is doing and what actors speaking out against children being subjected to famine conditions are doing — but a lot can be lost in translation. Still, an initial 1,500 filmmakers released a letter saying they had been inspired by Martin Scorsese’s Filmmakers United Against Apartheid drive to form their own group called “Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity.”
In their letter, the film workers partly state: “The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful. Standing for equality, justice, and freedom for all people is a profound moral duty that none of us can ignore. So too, we must speak out now against the harm done to the Palestinian people.”
Signees include some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Aimee Lou Wood, Josh O’Connor, Joe Alwyn, among others. The list is seemingly growing by the hour and has reportedly reached 1,800 names. The Israeli Film and TV Producers Association, according to Deadline, has since responded and declared that this boycott is misguided and “targeting the wrong people.” The group added that they hope the international community can recognize dialogue and peace.
According to the Israeli film workers, they too criticize Israeli state policies and often collaborate with Palestinian filmmakers. They are calling the conflict complex and hope the boycott can be reconsidered so they can continue showcasing the war from the frontlines.
It’s highly unlikely, however, that global film workers have stayed silent as an industry for so long only to take it back before the war actually ends. In their letter, the film workers stated that “our governments” are “enabling carnage in Gaza,” and this is simply their way of addressing their own complicity.
