Hollywood stars among thousands who join pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions 'implicated in genocide'

An open letter from a group that calls itself Film Workers for Palestine had amassed more than 4,000 signatures as of Wednesday, with a slew of Hollywood stars and filmmakers pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions that have been “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

An open letter from a group that calls itself Film Workers for Palestine had amassed more than 4,000 signatures as of Wednesday, with a slew of Hollywood stars and filmmakers pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions that have been “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

“As filmmakers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions,” the pledge, which was published online earlier this week, states. “In 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.”

The list of signees include Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy and Palme d’Or winners, such as filmmakers Jonathan Glazer, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer; and actors Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Nicola Coughlan, Andrew Garfield, Harris Dickinson, Bowen Yang, Guy Pearce, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, Elliot Page, Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Ayo Edebiri, Riz Ahmed, Josh O’Connor, Cynthia Nixon, among others.

Those who signed the letter will refuse to work with Israeli festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies that have participated in “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them,” according to the pledge.

On its FAQ page, Film Workers for Palestine notes that the pledge doesn’t prohibit film professionals from working with Israeli individuals. “This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity,” the group states.