Paramount Breaks with Hollywood as Over 4,000 Film Industry โฃProfessionals Pledge to Boycott Israel
Jakarta โข- In a โฃgrowing wave of protest overโข the โconflict in Gaza, more than 4,000 Hollywood โfilmmakers – including actors, producers, and behind-the-scenes personnel – have signed a pledgeโค to boycott Israeli film institutions. Though, Paramount โpictures has publicly distanced itself from the movement, asserting its commitment โto artistic exchange and rejecting calls for a boycott based on nationality.
Paramountโข Pictures, owned by Global Paramount Mediaโข Conglomerate and renowned for producing films like titanic and Mission โขImpossible, released a statement emphasizing its core mission. “We believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire โpeople, encourage mutual understanding, and preserve ideas โขand events thatโ shape the world we โคshare together,”โค said Melissaโ Zukerman, Head of Paramount Communication Pictures.
The studio explicitly disagreed โขwith the โboycott pledge, stating that “silencing creative โartists based on citizenship โขwould not advance peace.” Paramount argued that โฃthe global entertainment industry โshould instead foster artistic expression and cross-cultural dialogue, advocating for “more involvement and communication.”
The initial pledge,signed by 1,200 filmmakers,rapidly gainedโค momentum,exceeding 3,500 signatures before surpassing 4,000. Theโ movement is spearheaded by Film Workers for โPalestine, and boasts signatures from prominent figuresโ including Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Lily Gladstone, Mark โRuffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, javier โคBardem, and Josh โO’Connor.
Additional high-profile supporters include Joaquin Phoenix, โAndrew Garfield, Nicola Coughlan, Rooney Mara, Elliot โPage, Emma D’Arcy, and โguy pearce, alongside directors Jonathan Glazer, Ebon โMoss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and โPayal Kapadia.
Phoenix and Maraโค previously demonstrated theirโฃ support for Palestinian โคcauses as โexecutive producers of the award-winning โฃdrama Gaza Monologue: The Voice of Hind Rajab, attending theโ Venice โFilm Festival while wearing Palestinianโข support pins.
Film workers for Palestine stated theโ boycott targets institutions they accuse โof “justifying genocide and apartheid, andโ also partneringโข with the government who [is] doing it.”โข Specifically, the pledge calls for โboycotts of the Jerusalemโฃ Film Festival, โHaifa International Film Festival, Docaviv, and TLVfest.
“This is a moment of urgent crisis, when many โฃgovernments actually support bloodshed in Gaza. โคWe must do everythingโฃ that can โend the involvement in the endless horror,” the organization’s official statement reads.