Film Workers for Palestine, the group that includes at least 4,000 signatories of an open letter in which actors such as Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix pledged they would not work with Israeli companies “complicit in genocide,” issued a statement Sunday refuting Paramount’s condemnation of that effort, in which the studio said it amounts to “silencing individual creative artists.”
Paramount may be “intentionally misrepresenting the pledge in an attempt to silence our colleagues in the film industry,” the group told TheWrap on Sunday.
The statement reads in full:
“As has been widely reported, the Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity … does not target individuals based on identity. The pledge and the accompanying FAQs clearly state that the targets are complicit Israeli film institutions and companies, given their pervasive involvement in whitewashing or justifying Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its apartheid regime against all Palestinians.”
“We sincerely hope that Paramount, in its statement Friday, isn’t intentionally misrepresenting the pledge in an attempt to silence our colleagues in the film industry. Such a move would only shield a genocidal regime from criticism at a time when global outrage is exponentially growing and while meaningful steps towards accountability are being taken by many,” the statement continued.
“An important detail that should not be overlooked is the fact that Paramount’s new owner, Larry Ellison, has a well-documented, close relationship with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, has in the past reportedly vacationed on a Hawaiian island owned by Ellison, and, according to Haaretz, was even offered a seat on the board of Oracle, Ellison’s company.”
“We are heartened that thousands of filmmakers worldwide have taken a collective moral stand by pledging not to work with Israeli institutions complicit in genocide. Our initiative is rooted in historic struggles, in particular the successful international movement to end the apartheid regime of South Africa. Almost two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, with seemingly no end in sight, a rapidly growing number of film workers are recognising that withdrawing their participation from an evil system, to paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, is an essential duty they can no longer ignore.”
“Should Israeli film institutions wish to continue working with pledge signatories, their choice is clear: end complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid, and endorse the full rights of the Palestinian people under international law, in line with Palestinian civil society guidelines. To date, almost none has,” the statement concluded.
On Friday, Paramount issued the following statement exclusively to TheWrap: “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.”
“We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers,” the statement continued. “Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace. 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 only studio that has publicly responded to the pledge. Ari Ingel, the executive director at the Creative Community for Peace, wrote that the pledge “amplifies hate.”
“The path to peace will not be paved by boycotts, censorship or exclusion, but by supporting the courageous individuals who refuse to give up on co-existence,” Ingel also wrote. “Because in the end, peace will be written not by those who divide, but by those who dare to create together.”
The Film Workers for Palestine website addresses whether or not signatories are pledging to avoid working with Israeli individuals completely: “No. The call is for film workers to refuse to work with Israeli institutions that are complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinian people. This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity. There are also 2 million Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, and Palestinian civil society has developed context sensitive guidelines for that community.”
Film Workers for Palestine further cites resources from Amnesty International, the United Nations, and Scholars in Holocaust and Genocide Studies for help in understanding what constitutes a genocide.
