DC Film Society: Adam's Rib October 2025

Misplaced Outrage

Memory can play tricks on you, especially when emotions run high. A couple of weeks ago, when nearly 4,000 in the Hollywood and international community agreed to boycott Israeli film institutions and companies, I remembered Hollywood saying very little in the wake of 1,195 people killed in Israel, and the 250 taken hostage, by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023. I was wrong, at least somewhat. Many Hollywood actors and executives signed a letter in late October 2023 supporting the safe return of the hostages. Forty-eight hostages remain in captivity who have largely been forgotten, not solely in Hollywood, but certainly by those supporting this boycott.

Clearly, I would not expect approval of Israel’s actions in Gaza from Hollywood or any other community. People all over the world have spoken out against the civilian deaths, famine, and that after nearly two years of war there’s no end in sight. Many in Israel feel the same and have protested in any number of ways. I do take issue with those condemning Israel who did not say a word about Hamas (whom we must remember, is the democratically elected leadership in Gaza) slaughtering nearly 1200, including 378 people, 344 of them civilians, who were simply enjoying a music festival. You can’t credibly weigh in on a fire if you forget who lit the match.

Further straining credibility are the details of this Hollywood boycott. The organizers target “Israel’s major film festivals (including but not limited to Jerusalem film festival, Haifa international film festival, Docaviv and TLVFest) (that) continue to partner with the Israeli government,” describing these and other film institutions as “complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.” How exactly are these institutions complicit? They have no role in developing or carrying out Israel’s war strategy. Do the boycott organizers know if the leadership or members of these institutions support the war? Do they even care or is it simply easier to paint them all with the same brush? The boycott pledge elaborates that “the vast majority of Israeli film production and distribution companies, sales agents, cinemas and other film institutions have never endorsed the full, internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people”. Is this even true? Even if it is, it’s a political litmus test, where unless you say exactly what we want we will shun you.

The boycott supporters either do not realize or choose to ignore that many Israeli filmmakers and film institutions openly criticize the Gaza war and the actions of the Israeli government. On September 16th, the Ophir awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars, awarded Best Picture to The Sea. I have not seen The Sea yet, but Deadline notes that it “follows Khaled, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy living in the landlocked West Bank on his way to visit the sea for the first time in his life, until at the checkpoint, the Israeli authorities deny his entry.” Two of its cast won acting Ophirs. Under Israel’s rules The Sea automatically becomes its entry to the Best International Feature Film category for the next Academy Awards. Think about that, the leading Israeli film institution, supposedly “complicit,” chose a sympathetic portrayal of a Palestinian boy to have a chance to represent Israel on the film world’s biggest stage.

Could The Sea simply be an anomaly? Nope. Deadline reported that “Other frontrunners for Best Film include Nadav Lapid’s Yes, a biting satire critiquing the indifference of Israeli society in the face of bloodshed in Gaza, and Natali Braun’s Oxygen about a mother fighting to pull her son out of military service. The storylines of all three films run counter to the politics of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.” The Ophirs also bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award to director Uri Barbash. Deadline added that in his acceptance speech, Barbash “railed against Netanyahu’s government ... Alluding to his 1984 Oscar-nominated drama Beyond the Walls in which Israeli and Palestinian prisoners in a high security jail unite against a corrupt warden, he said: “We have chosen, we will strike and protest, and we will create, all of us together, Jews and Arabs, religious and secular.” Barbash’s political views were no secret, and the Ophirs gave him its most prestigious award and a platform to criticize the Israeli government. Doesn’t sound very “complicit” to me.

The Israeli government may provide some funding, but it has no control over films’ content. Variety reports that “Under the local film law voted on more than 25 years ago, grants from the Israel Film Fund are allocated to filmmakers based on the artistic merit of their projects without interference from government officials. And unlike in France, where the National Film Board chief is appointed by the French government, the head of the Israel Film Fund — currently Noa Regev — is voted on by an independent selection committee.” A leading Israeli film producer, Eitan Mansuri, told Variety that “Along the years, if you see the harvest of films that came out of Israel, they’re the most critical of the Israeli society and are looking deep down into the conflict.”

The Jerusalem festival, directly targeted by the boycott, faced a test this year. It showed Yes in spite of blowback from local politicians. Lapid, the film’s director, told Variety that “A few days before the screening, Jerusalem festival organizers had received a letter from two government ministers who demanded that it be taken off the lineup, saying that it mocks or despises or shows no respect for Israeli patriotism and heroism — all sorts of nonsense. The Jerusalem festival could have pulled my film at that point and blamed it on the politicians, but they took the risk, knowing that it could also lead to the closure of the festival.”

How does the Israeli government, those actually making the decisions, feel about the “complicit” film community? CNN reports that Culture minister Miki Zohar, who must have had nothing else to do in these difficult times, “described the (Ophir) ceremony and the award as a ‘spit in the face of Israeli citizens,’ adding: ‘The fact that the winning film depicts our heroic soldiers in a defamatory and false way while they fight and risk their lives to protect us no longer surprises anyone.’” The ministry announced that it was ending funding for the Ophirs. Instead, it was creating the “’Israeli State Oscar,” a new government-sponsored alternative film awards ceremony to honor Israeli creators and films that ‘reflect the nation’s values and spirit.’”

The boycott organizers are, in effect, attacking artists that are strongly against the war. Variety reports that “many of the members of the country’s left-leaning film and TV industry are rooting for peace and standing against the Israeli government at their own risk.” Eliran Elya, chair of the Israeli Directors Guild, explained that “’filmmakers in Israel are already facing limitations,’ and threats of censorship ‘because the funding is public. And then, on top of that, industries abroad are boycotting Israeli creators.’” Elya added that “We are hit both from inside and from outside.” For example, Variety spotlights how Yes “could face a boycott from distributors and festivals because it received financing from the Israel Film Fund. It would be ironic since Lapid, who has lived in Paris for a number of years, is one of the most vocal opponents of the Israeli government.” Lapid is but one example of what Elya described as people who will be hurt by the boycott who “are those who are fighting to tell the stories of this conflict, those who are bringing those stories to the world for years now.” Mansuri said it best when he noted that the boycott is “hurting the only people who are the voice of democracy, the voice of reason, the voice of liberalism, the voice of peace. That’s what you’re doing by boycotting the artists, the film and television community of Israel.”

Does anyone involved with the boycott really believe that it will have any impact on the Gaza War? Assaf Amir, head of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, told NPR that “We understand that people are trying to somehow affect the war in Gaza. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to help stop the war. It might mute our voices. I mean, we have an industry that fights and makes critical films. Most of us are right now under a vicious attack, I would say, by the government.” Amir argues that “the government might even welcome a boycott as a way of punishing Israeli filmmakers.” As illustrated by Zohar’s actions, the Israeli decisionmakers care little about the fate of its film community. If the boycotters truly want positive change, they should help the Israeli filmmakers, not hurt them.

Thankfully some in Hollywood have spoken out against the boycott. Paramount issued a statement including “We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace. The global entertainment industry should be encouraging artists to tell their stories and share their ideas with audiences throughout the world. We need more engagement and communication — not less.” Granted that might have a little more impact if it wasn’t from the studio that canned Stephen Colbert. Just as I was writing this column, nearly 1200 in Hollywood signed an open letter opposing the boycott, including that the boycott “is not an act of conscience. It is a document of misinformation that advocates for arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art. To censor the very voices trying to find common ground and express their humanity, is wrong, ineffective and a form of collective punishment.”

I believe that many of those that signed the boycott pledge believe they are doing the right thing. Robert Redford’s recent passing reminds us that movie stars and filmmakers can be valuable activists. But, given the power of their voices, they need to dig a little deeper and not just sign on to the cause of the moment. At best, the boycott will have no impact. At worst, it will hurt fellow artists who, through their work and their voices, have strived for peace. These people are not adversaries, no matter how the boycott paints them, and they are definitely not “complicit” in the war. If you’re not going to make matters better, at least don’t make them worse.

Adam Spector
October 1, 2025