Israeli government to pull funding for film awards after Palestinian story triumphs
The Israeli Film Academy's Ophir awards saw The Sea, an Arabic-language film about a Palestinian boy from the West Bank trying to see the ocean, widely honoured
The Israeli government has announced that it will stop funding the country’s national film awards, after a film about a Palestinian boy from the West Bank trying to visit the ocean for the first time was widely honoured and officially selected as the country’s nominated film for consideration at the Oscars.
“The Sea”, which is an Arabic-language film rather than Hebrew, won multiple prizes at the Israeli Film Academy’s Ophir Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Original Music. In the film, Khaled, a 12-year old boy from Ramallah, is turned covertly enters Israel to try and reach the sea after having been turned away from a checkpoint by IDF soldiers, with his father attempting to find him without losing his job or being taken into custody.
Following the awards ceremony, Miki Zohar, Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports, announced that he would be withdrawing government funding for the awards, stating: “there is no greater insult to the citizens of Israel than the annual embarrassing and disconnected Ophir Awards. The fact that the winning film portrays our heroic soldiers in a defamatory and false manner while they risk their lives to protect us no longer surprises anyone.”
The Ministry claimed that the film “presents the Palestinian perspective and depicts the IDF and Israel in a negative light”
The chair of the film academy, Assaf Amir, responded by saying: “Film selections and awards are determined by Academy members, all of whom are filmmakers and cultural professionals, who choose the best works of Israeli cinema based on artistic excellence, creative freedom, and freedom of expression.”
He went on to say that he was proud that “I am proud that an Arabic-language film, created through collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, will represent Israel at the Oscars.
“Israeli cinema once again proves that it is relevant and responsive to a complex and painful reality. This is a sensitive and empathetic film, attentive to human beings in general and to the film’s protagonist in particular, a Palestinian boy whose only wish is to see the sea.”
Earlier this month, more than 1,300 filmmakers, including Hollywood A-listers such as Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Olivia Coleman and Emma Stone, signed up to a cultural boycott of Israeli institutions and companies “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Accepting a lifetime achievement award, director Uri Barbash criticised both the actions of the Israeli government and the Hollywood boycott.
“The sanctity of life, the preservation of life, and human dignity must have no ethnic or geographical boundaries”, he said.
“It is our sacred duty to bring all the hostages back to their families. Immediately. To end the accursed war and replace the ‘divide and rule’ regime that has declared war on Israeli society!”
Muhammad Gazawi, aged 13, won Best Actor for his role in The Sea, becoming the youngest ever winner of the prize. Speaking in Arabic, he said: “I really enjoyed filming the movie. I wish for all the children of the world, everywhere, to have the same opportunity – to live and dream without wars.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
