Paramount Breaks with Hollywood as Over 4,000 Film Industry Professionals Pledge to Boycott Israel
Jakarta - In a growing wave of protest over the conflict in Gaza, more than 4,000 Hollywood filmmakers – including actors, producers, and behind-the-scenes personnel – have signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions. Though, Paramount pictures has publicly distanced itself from the movement, asserting its commitment to artistic exchange and rejecting calls for a boycott based on nationality.
Paramount Pictures, owned by Global Paramount Media Conglomerate and renowned for producing films like titanic and Mission Impossible, released a statement emphasizing its core mission. “We believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, encourage mutual understanding, and preserve ideas and events that shape the world we share together,” said Melissa Zukerman, Head of Paramount Communication Pictures.
The studio explicitly disagreed with the boycott pledge, stating that “silencing creative artists based on citizenship would not advance peace.” Paramount argued that the global entertainment industry should instead foster artistic expression and cross-cultural dialogue, advocating for “more involvement and communication.”
The initial pledge,signed by 1,200 filmmakers,rapidly gained momentum,exceeding 3,500 signatures before surpassing 4,000. The movement is spearheaded by Film Workers for Palestine, and boasts signatures from prominent figures including Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Lily Gladstone, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, javier Bardem, and Josh O’Connor.
Additional high-profile supporters include Joaquin Phoenix, Andrew Garfield, Nicola Coughlan, Rooney Mara, Elliot Page, Emma D’Arcy, and guy pearce, alongside directors Jonathan Glazer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and Payal Kapadia.
Phoenix and Mara previously demonstrated their support for Palestinian causes as executive producers of the award-winning drama Gaza Monologue: The Voice of Hind Rajab, attending the Venice Film Festival while wearing Palestinian support pins.
Film workers for Palestine stated the boycott targets institutions they accuse of “justifying genocide and apartheid, and also partnering with the government who [is] doing it.” Specifically, the pledge calls for boycotts of the Jerusalem Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival, Docaviv, and TLVfest.
“This is a moment of urgent crisis, when many governments actually support bloodshed in Gaza. We must do everything that can end the involvement in the endless horror,” the organization’s official statement reads.