More than 1,200 actors, directors, and film industry professionals have signed a pledge vowing not to collaborate with Israeli film institutions they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
The pledge, published by Film Workers for Palestine and shared with The Guardian, commits signatories not to screen films, participate in festivals, or work with institutions they consider complicit in Israel’s actions. Examples include major festivals like the Jerusalem Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival, Docaviv, and TLVFest, which critics say maintain partnerships with the Israeli government.
Notable signatories include filmmakers Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Boots Riley, Asif Kapadia, and Joshua Oppenheimer, alongside actors Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Riz Ahmed, Ayo Edebiri, Cynthia Nixon, Josh O’Connor, and Julie Christie.
The pledge draws inspiration from the cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa and stresses that the boycott targets institutions, not individuals. “This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity,” it states.
In response, the Israeli Producers Association condemned the move, arguing that Israeli artists have historically amplified diverse voices, including Palestinian perspectives, and warned that the boycott “undermines the very collaborations working toward peace.”
The pledge comes amid increasing activism within the entertainment industry against Israel’s war in Gaza, with earlier campaigns signed by Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Guillermo del Toro, and Ralph Fiennes.
