Culture minister threatens to end all state funding for film industry amid awards spat

Miki Zohar says he’ll work to cancel Film Law, hits out at ‘violent extremists’ he accuses of ‘threatening’ those taking part in his alternative ceremony to Ophir Awards

Culture Minister Miki Zohar on Sunday threatened to cut off all state funding to the film industry amid an ongoing spat over his attempt to stage an alternate movie awards ceremony.

“I will work — already tomorrow — to cancel the Film Law and to end funding the film industry to the tune of NIS 130 million a year, and they can make the films they want to, the way that they want to, on their own dime, and not with public money,” Zohar, a member of the ruling Likud party, declared in an interview with the right-wing Channel 14.

Zohar said the decision was being made after figures in the industry are trying to push a widespread boycott of the alternative film awards he set up in protest of the prizes handed out at this year’s Ophir Awards, which is run by the Israeli Academy of Film and decides Israel’s Oscar submission each year.

The minister was outraged after the top award this year was given to the film “The Sea,” about a Palestinian boy. The film was submitted to the Oscars for consideration as best foreign film, but did not make the short list.

Zohar accused some in the film industry of trying to pressure those who had initially agreed to take part in the alternative awards ceremony to drop out amid a number of withdrawals in recent days.

“There are situations in life when people need to know when to stop — and it seems like in this situation, those trying to boycott the ceremony did not know when to stop,” said Zohar.

He accused these unnamed figures of being “violent extremists” who are “threatening” those who were nominated for awards at the newly established “Israeli Film Awards,” and causing them to back out.

A number of industry figures who were nominated for the alternate awards have backed out in recent days, including actress Irit Kaplan, director Erez Tadmor, cinematographer Amit Yasur, actress Nur Fibak and editor Einat Glaser-Zarhin, citing the polarizing nature of the ceremony.

Zohar already halted funding for the Ophir Awards in protest of the awarding of its top prize to “The Sea,” a movie about a Palestinian boy on his way to visit the sea in Tel Aviv for the first time in his life as part of a class trip. The Likud minister said the film presents the Palestinian perspective, casting IDF soldiers and the State of Israel in a negative light.

The Film Law, which was passed in 1999, established the Israel Film Council, which oversees the allocation of budgets to Israeli cinematic endeavors. Industry insiders warned this year that the future of Israeli TV and film is already under threat due to funding drying up and overseas production companies increasingly wary of doing business with Israel amid global boycott efforts.

Since taking office three years ago, Zohar has repeatedly taken aim at productions and cultural endeavors that he has deemed distasteful. Shortly after taking office in January 2023, Zohar declared that the Israel Film Council would require filmmakers seeking government grants to sign a clause saying they won’t produce anti-Israel content.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.