US EditionIsrael’s culture minister vows to defund ‘Israeli Oscars’ after film about Palestinian boy wins big
- At the 2025 Ophir Awards in Tel Aviv, the Arabic-language drama 'The Sea' about a Palestinian boy won Best Film and became Israel's Oscar entry.
- The selection occurred amid international calls to boycott Israeli film institutions, prompting Culture Minister Miki Zohar to declare he will cut state funding starting next year.
- 'The Sea' follows 12-year-old Khaled in the West Bank and depicts Israeli soldiers negatively, which Zohar condemned as disgraceful and shameful toward IDF soldiers.
- Thirteen-Year-Old Muhammad Gazawi won Best Actor and called for children to live without wars, while Uri Barbash condemned the government and Hollywood boycott in his lifetime achievement speech.
- Zohar's funding cut threatens the Ophir Awards' future, highlighting political tensions affecting Israeli cinema amid ongoing conflict and film community boycotts.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Israel’s culture minister cuts funding for prestigious film awards, saying winner defames soldiers
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s culture minister has cut funding for the country’s most prestigious film awards ceremony, saying this year’s best feature winner “spits” on Israeli soldiers. Miki Zohar said he was taking the step in response to Tuesday’s Ophir Award victory for “The Sea” – a story about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who sneaks into Israel from the occupied West Bank in a quest to see the sea for the first time in his life. The film wil…
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has announced the suspension of funding for the Ophir National Film Festival, which was won by the film The Sea, about the plight of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who is unable to move freely around the country.
"The Sea" will automatically be the Israeli movie nominated for the Oscars: the government didn't take it well
Israel to defund national awards after film about Palestinian boy wins
LONDON: Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar intends to end funding for the country’s national film awards starting in 2026, after a film featuring the story of a Palestinian boy won the best feature film prize. Zohar, who recently described the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” as a “sabotage” against Israel, said on Wednesday that the Ophir Awards held in Tel Aviv was
A film about a Palestinian boy receives a prestigious prize in Israel. The Minister of Culture calls the award "a shameful ceremony".
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