Over 1,300 Filmmakers, Including Olivia Colman and Javier Bardem, Join Boycott of Israeli Film Institutions

More than 1,300 filmmakers, including renowned actors and directors such as Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Susan Sarandon, Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, and Ken Loach, have signed a pledge refusing to collaborate with Israeli film institutions. The boycott, initiated by Film Makers for Palestine, argues that Israeli festivals, broadcasters, and production companies are complicit in what they describe as genocide and apartheid against Palestinians in Gaza. Prominent figures such as director Yorgos Lanthimos, documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia, and multiple BAFTA-winning producers James Wilson and Rebecca O’Brien have also joined the movement. O’Brien explained that for decades, Israeli film companies have helped mask and justify alleged war crimes, and she refuses to let her work contribute to this. The pledge was inspired by the 1987 Filmmakers United Against Apartheid campaign, supported by Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme, which targeted South African institutions. This initiative adds to recent public interventions by celebrities and intellectuals urging governments to take stronger action regarding Gaza. In May and June 2025, hundreds of prominent figures, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Dua Lipa, signed letters pressing the UK government to end its complicity. Israel, for its part, continues to defend its military actions in Gaza as self-defense, rejecting accusations of genocide as misinformation. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began after Hamas’s October attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and about 250 taken hostage. The Israeli government has vowed to continue military operations until it fully defeats Hamas and gains control of Gaza.