<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-breadcrumbs"><div class="gmail-topics"><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/">News</a>|<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/israel-palestine-conflict/">Israel-Palestine conflict</a></div></div><h1>Over 1,300 artists vow boycott of Israeli film institutions amid Gaza war</h1><p class="gmail-article__subhead"><em>Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed and Tilda Swinton are among more than 1,300 signatories to the pledge.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/getty_68bf0f5aa0-1757351770.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Mark Ruffalo attends the UK Gala Screening of Searchlight Pictures' 'Poor Things' at the Barbican Centre in London, on December 14, 2023. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK)" width="422" height="281" style="margin-right: 25px;"></div>Mark
Ruffalo is among the artists who decry the 'unrelenting horror' in Gaza
[Eamonn M McCormack/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures UK]<div class="gmail-article-info gmail-m--t-20 gmail-m--desktop-b-30 gmail-m--b-mobile-20"><div class="gmail-byline gmail-byline--default"><div class="gmail-byline-content"><p class="gmail-author-names"><span class="gmail-author-names__by-prefix">By </span><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458">Al Jazeera Staff</a></p></div></div><div class="gmail-article-dates"><div class="gmail-date-simple"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Published On 8 Sep 2025</span></div></div><div class="gmail-combined-share gmail-start-end-animation"><div class="gmail-update-reading-list"></div></div></div><div class="gmail-update-reading-list"><span class="gmail-update-reading-list__tooltip" role="tooltip"></span></div><div class="gmail-combined-share__wrapper"></div><div class="gmail-combined-share__social gmail-combined-share__social--row"><a class="gmail-combined-share__social-link gmail-row gmail-copylink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Copy link" href="https://aje.io/6btz3q"></a></div><a class="gmail-combined-share__social-link gmail-row" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Over%201%2C300%20artists%20vow%20boycott%20of%20Israeli%20film%20institutions%20amid%20Gaza%20war&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2F6btz3q"></a><a class="gmail-combined-share__social-link gmail-row" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2F6btz3q"></a><p>More
than 1,300 artists, including some Hollywood A-listers, have promised
not to work with Israeli film institutions complicit in abuses against
Palestinians as <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/7/israel-intensifies-gaza-city-destruction-bombs-another-high-rise-tower">Israel intensifies</a> its war on Gaza.</p><p>In
a pledge released on Monday, the artists \u2013 who include Olivia Colman,
Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem \u2013
decried the \u201cunrelenting horror\u201d in Gaza, where Israel has killed more
than 64,000 Palestinians and flattened most of the territory.</p><p>\u201cInspired
by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid who refused to screen their
films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear
at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions \u2013 including
festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies \u2013 that are
implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,\u201d
the statement read.</p><p>Examples of being complicit in Israeli rights
violations include \u201cwhitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid,
and/or partnering with the government committing them\u201d, it added.</p><p>The pledge cited International Court of Justice rulings that concluded a genocide charge against Israel is plausible and found <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/19/world-court-says-israels-settlement-policies-breach-international-law">the Israeli occupation</a> of Palestinian territory is illegal.</p><p>Over the 23 months of the Gaza war, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/3/why-have-leading-experts-declared-israels-war-on-gaza-a-genocide">leading academics</a>, rights groups and United Nations experts have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.</p><div style="display:block;min-width:0px;max-width:770px"><div class="gmail-video-player-facade-container"><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-large gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-0 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu" id="gmail-vjs_video_5743" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"><div class="gmail-vjs-poster" aria-disabled="false"><span class="gmail-vjs-poster" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/e8efd1cf-ffe9-4691-9233-b2fb2037ee16/a5b94043-1623-4393-939c-fa59e182dee6/1920x1080/match/image.jpg" width="422" height="237" style="margin-right: 0px;"></span></div><div class="gmail-vjs-text-track-display"><div style="margin:1.5%"></div></div></span></div></div></div><div class="gmail-aj-video-player gmail-in-article-bc-video-player gmail-aj-parsed-component"><span class="gmail-video-js gmail-vjs-paused gmail-vjs-controls-enabled gmail-vjs-touch-enabled gmail-vjs-workinghover gmail-vjs-v8 gmail-vjs-user-active gmail-vjs-layout-large gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default gmail-bc-player-6tKQRAx7lu_default-index-0 gmail-vjs-ad-controls gmail-vjs-ima3-html5 gmail-vjs-plugins-ready gmail-pause-controller gmail-vjs-player-info gmail-vjs-contextmenu-ui gmail-vjs-viewability gmail-vjs-errors gmail-vjs-quality-menu" id="gmail-vjs_video_5743" tabindex="-1" lang="en" role="region" aria-label="Video Player"></span></div><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--large"></div></div><div class="gmail-wysiwyg gmail-wysiwyg--all-content"><p> </p><p>Genocide \u2013 defined by the UN as \u201cacts committed
with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical,
racial or religious group\u201d \u2013 is one of the gravest war crimes.</p><p>Palestinian
rights advocates have long called for celebrities to use their reach
and status to bring awareness to the plight of Palestinians.</p><p>Oscar-nominated
filmmaker Mike Lerner, one of the signatories to the statement, said
the pledge was a \u201cnon-violent tool\u201d to undermine the impunity that
Israel enjoys for its conduct against Palestinians.</p><div id="gmail-article-newsletter-slot"></div><p>\u201cIt
is the responsibility of every independently minded artist to use
whatever powers of expression they possess to support the global
resistance to overcome this horror,\u201d Lerner said in a statement.</p><p>Hollywood
has been historically pro-Israel, producing movies like the 1960 film
Exodus, which valorised the founding of Israel, and regularly inserting
positive references to the country in blockbusters.</p><p>But in recent
years, many actors and directors have spoken out against Israel\u2019s
policies \u2013 sometimes to the detriment of their own careers.</p><p>For example, in 2023, actor <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2024/2/18/al-jazeera-speaks-to-susan-sarandon-as-she-lobbies-for-a-gaza-ceasefire">Susan Sarandon</a>, who signed Monday\u2019s pledge, was dropped by her talent agency after attending a Palestine solidarity rally.</p><p>After the outbreak of the war in Gaza, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/7/hollywoods-israel-problem">Melissa Barrera</a>, who also joined the boycott call, lost her role in the horror franchise Scream over social media posts critical of Israel.</p><img class="gmail-size-arc-image-770 gmail-wp-image-3933892" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2024-11-03T161630Z_794744978_RC2RXAASO5TY_RTRMADP_3_FILM-PADDINGTON-IN-PERU-LONDON-PREMIERE-1757348224.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="Olivia Colman" width="422" height="281" style="margin-right: 25px;">Olivia Colman is also among the artists who decry the \u2018unrelenting horror\u2019 in Gaza [File: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters]<p>Still, voices sympathetic to Palestinians continue to grow louder in the film industry.</p><p>In March, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/3/israeli-palestinian-film-no-other-land-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary">No Other Land</a>,
an Israeli-Palestinian film focused on the ongoing destruction of the
Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, won
the Oscar for best documentary feature.</p><p>More recently, The Voice
of Hind Rajab, which tells the story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl
who was trapped in a car with slain family members before Israeli
soldiers also killed her, received a 23-minute standing ovation at the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/7/gaza-war-film-the-voice-of-hind-rajab-wins-2nd-prize-at-venice-festival">Venice Film Festival</a>.</p><p>The movie centres on Rajab\u2019s heart-wrenching calls to rescuers while under Israeli fire in Gaza City.</p><p>Monday\u2019s pledge comes as Israel pushes to systematically destroy <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/9/8/israel-wants-to-destroy-gaza-city-not-occupy">Gaza City</a>, having already levelled most of the besieged enclave.</p><p>\u201cAs
filmmakers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we
recognise the power of cinema to shape perceptions,\u201d the statement said.</p><p>\u201cIn
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.\u201d</p></div><div class="gmail-article-source">Source: Al Jazeera</div>
<li tabindex="0"><div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><span class="gmail-post-icon__text">01:01</span></div></div><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img class="gmail-playlist-item-image" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/e8efd1cf-ffe9-4691-9233-b2fb2037ee16/6a5cd00c-a1af-4476-8e5b-236bff5ddd9d/426x240/match/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80" alt="Israel flattens another high-rise in Gaza City, forcing mass displacement of residents"></div></div><h3 class="gmail-playlist-item-title" title="Israel flattens another high-rise in Gaza City, forcing mass displacement of residents"> Israel flattens another high-rise in Gaza City, forcing mass displacement of residents</h3></li><li tabindex="1"> <div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><span class="gmail-playlist-item-showing-next" title="Next">Next</span><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"></div></div></div></li><li tabindex="1"><div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><span class="gmail-post-icon__text">01:58</span></div></div><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img class="gmail-playlist-item-image" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/c7d6c4c2-e5a5-43a6-9488-b00b463e0aae/552f9f3a-c57e-4972-a764-b64de17b2ba5/426x240/match/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80" alt="London Underground at standstill as workers begin week of strikes"></div></div><h3 class="gmail-playlist-item-title" title="London Underground at standstill as workers begin week of strikes"> London Underground at standstill as workers begin week of strikes</h3></li><li tabindex="2"> <div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"></div></div></div></li><li tabindex="2"><div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><span class="gmail-post-icon__text">02:20</span></div></div><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img class="gmail-playlist-item-image" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/98b6184e-2cba-4e01-b70a-f4210f4db6a2/d071bb1c-2a97-4213-940e-d8db5ba35359/426x240/match/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80" alt="Severe cash shortage cripples Guinea\u2019s economy, trade, and daily life"></div></div><h3 class="gmail-playlist-item-title" title="Severe cash shortage cripples Guinea\u2019s economy, trade, and daily life"> Severe cash shortage cripples Guinea\u2019s economy, trade, and daily life</h3></li><li tabindex="3"> <div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"></div></div></div></li><li tabindex="3"><div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><span class="gmail-post-icon__text">03:22</span></div></div><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img class="gmail-playlist-item-image" src="https://cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/665003303001/d2a68e25-b5f9-41ff-b1c2-b7e7b60f6f72/ecd6e0c4-5a54-489b-b9d3-3b0dd90d9f8f/426x240/match/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80" alt="French PM Francois Bayrou loses confidence vote in National Assembly"></div></div><h3 class="gmail-playlist-item-title" title="French PM Francois Bayrou loses confidence vote in National Assembly"> French PM Francois Bayrou loses confidence vote in National Assembly</h3></li><li tabindex="4"> <div class="gmail-playlist-item-image-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon-parent gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"><div class="gmail-post-icon__container gmail-post-icon--small gmail-playlist-item-duration-container"></div></div></div></li><br></div>