Yorgos Lanthimos, Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor, and 1,200 Other Artists Cut Ties with Companies Linked to Israel
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, more than 1,200 international artists have signed a pledge to end collaboration with companies connected to Israel. Among them are Emmy, BAFTA, and Oscar-winning actors who have committed not to work with companies they describe as “complicit in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
The list includes filmmakers such as Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (Bugonia), Adam McKay (Vice), Ava DuVernay, Boots Riley, Joshua Oppenheimer, and Mike Leigh, as well as actors like Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Hannah Einbinder, Amy Lou Wood, Paapa Essiedu, Gael García Bernal, Riz Ahmed, Melissa Barrera, Cynthia Nixon, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, and Josh O’Connor.
The pledge, released this Monday by the organization Film Workers for Palestine, states that complicity in such crimes includes “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, or collaborating with the government perpetrating them.” Participation in the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Haifa Film Festival, and Docaviv are cited as further examples of complicity.
“In this critical moment, as many of our governments are aiding the massacre in Gaza, we must do everything we can to confront complicity in this relentless horror,” the statement reads.
Film Workers for Palestine said the declaration was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, a movement launched in 1987 by Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, and 100 other filmmakers to stop the distribution of American films under South Africa’s apartheid regime.
Hannah Einbinder stated: “What we have witnessed in Gaza over the last two years is terrifying. As an American Jewish citizen whose taxes directly fund Israel’s attacks on Gaza, I feel we must do everything in our power to end this genocide. At this crucial moment, given the failure of our leaders, artists must step forward and refuse complicity in these crimes.”
Last year, more than 7,000 writers and authors, including Sally Rooney, signed a similar pledge.
