Paramount denounced a boycott of the Israeli film industry that includes more than 4,000 participants, Academy Award-winning actors and filmmakers among them, protesting the crisis in Gaza.
The studio became the first to speak out after the pledge was published on Monday by Film Workers for Palestine. A website for the pledge says it was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, and condemns the “unrelenting horror” happening in Gaza.
Actors Brian Cox, Emma Stone, Ayo Edebiri, Elliot Page, Joaquin Phoenix, Andrew Garfield and more are among those who signed the letter. Directors Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Adam McKay and Boots Riley, along with others in the film industry, also added their signatures.
In a statement, Paramount — which closed its merger with Skydance in August and is reportedly planning a major bid for Warner Bros. Discovery — said it doesn’t agree with the boycott, saying silencing artists based on their nationality does not “advance the cause of peace.”
“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,” said the statement, shared by CNN’s Brian Stelter on X. “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. 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.
Gilbert Flores via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Times, citing an insider, said David Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive, and others on the company’s leadership team felt strongly about speaking out against the pledge.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Film Workers for Palestine insisted the boycott doesn’t target individuals, but goes against companies and institutions.
“We sincerely hope Paramount isn’t intentionally misrepresenting the pledge in an attempt to silence our colleagues in the film industry,” the group told the L.A. Times. “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.”
A Frequently Asked Questions page accompanying the pledge specifically addresses this issue.
“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,” it says. “This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity.”
The FAQ page also informs signatories how to abide by the pledge, advising on how to navigate contractual agreements using legal mechanisms or adding “specific clauses into their contracts that clearly identify the complicity they want to avoid.”
