Warner Bros. Discovery has followed Paramount to become the second major Hollywood studio to reject a boycott of Israeli film companies backed by a host of A-list stars and filmmakers.
“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for its employees, collaborators and other stakeholders. Our policies prohibit discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or ancestry. We believe a boycott of Israeli film institutions violates our policies,” a WBD spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “While we respect the rights of individuals and groups to express their views and advocate for causes, we will continue to align our business practices with the requirements of our policies and the law.”
Film Workers for Palestine spearheaded the boycott last month by citing the signatures at the time of more than 1,300 filmmakers, actors, creatives and other industry professionals including Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Yorgos Lanthimos, Josh O’Connor, Emma Stone, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Emma Seligman, Boots Riley, Hannah Einbinder, Cynthia Nixon, Adam McKay, Joshua Oppenheimer and others. Since then, it has grown to more than 4,000 with additional signatures from Hollywood professionals.
“As filmmakers, actors, film industry workers and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions,” reads the pledge. “In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror. The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful. Standing for equality, justice and freedom for all is a profound moral duty that none of us can ignore.”
According to Film Workers for Palestine, the pledge was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, a group founded by high-profile directors such as Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese, which demanded that the film industry refuse to distribute work in South Africa.
The boycott was flatly rejected by Paramount, which stepped forward to become the first Hollywood studio to denounce it the week it was released. “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 the statement. “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.”
Film Workers for Palestine reached out to THR following the release of Paramount’s statement to correct what the organization claims are “inaccuracies.” Per its FAQ page, the pledge does not target Israeli individuals, but is instead “a call 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.”
Joining the studios in rejecting the boycott is a joint effort from Creative Community for Peace and the Brigade. Their letter, signed by Liev Schrieber, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing and more than 1,200 others, rejects the boycott by slamming the Film Workers for Palestine effort as “not an act of conscience” but rather “a document of misinformation.”
News of WBD’s statement comes on the heels of Hamas releasing all living hostages as part of the ceasefire deal in Gaza. It also comes amid widespread industry speculation as to whether newly-installed Paramount owner David Ellison will continue with his father, Larry Ellison, to make a bid to acquire WBD.
Variety first reported WBD’s statement.
Leave a Reply