After more than 3,900 industry figures signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions, Paramount released a statement condemning the widespread boycott.
“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,” reads a statement provided by Paramount chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman.
“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 statement continued. “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.”
Paramount is the first major studio to speak out on this issue.
The pledge, published on Monday by the organization Film Workers for Palestine, saw more than 3,900 industry figures — including Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy and Palme d’Or winners — declare that they will refuse to work with Israeli institutions and companies that are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The pledge statement states that examples of complicity include “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.”
The original list of 1,200 signatories included filmmakers such as Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Emma Seligman, Boots Riley, Adam McKay and Joshua Oppenheimer, as well as actors including Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Lily Gladstone, Hannah Einbinder, Gael Garcia Bernal, Melissa Barrera and Emma Stone.
By Wednesday, the letter had surpassed 3,900 signees: Nicola Coughlan, Andrew Garfield, Harris Dickinson, Bowen Yang, Guy Pearce, Jonathan Glazer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, Elliot Page, Payal Kapadia and Emma D’Arcy were among those who added their names, as were Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, who recently signed on as executive producers of the Venice-prizewinning Gaza drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The couple walked the red carpet at the film’s festival premiere while sporting badges in support of Palestine.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
From Variety US