Over 1,800 film industry figures, including Hollywood stars, have pledged to boycott Israeli institutions over Gaza human rights abuses.
More than 1,800 actors, producers, and entertainers — including several Hollywood stars — have signed a pledge refusing to collaborate with Israeli film institutions they accuse of being complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians.
The pledge, released on Monday, draws inspiration from Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, who resisted screening their work in apartheid-era South Africa. Signatories vowed not to participate in screenings, festivals, or projects connected to Israeli film institutions — such as broadcasters, cinemas, and production companies — that they say “whitewash or justify” Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
“Inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions – including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies – that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” the pledge read.
“This is not a call to boycott Israeli individuals,” the statement clarified. “The call is for film workers to refuse to work with Israeli institutions that are complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses.”
Prominent signatories include Oscar winners Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, and Cynthia Nixon.
The boycott comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has left tens of thousands dead, displaced the enclave’s population, and triggered warnings of famine. Rights experts and scholars have described Israel’s actions as genocidal, echoing the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion last year that the occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal.
Israel’s government has repeatedly rejected such accusations, calling boycott campaigns discriminatory and insisting its military actions are acts of self-defence following Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.
The pledge follows a high-profile moment at the Venice Film Festival last week, where The Voice of Hind Rajab — a documentary about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza — received a standing ovation. Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix served as executive producers of the film.
With growing global outrage over images of starving children and devastated neighbourhoods in Gaza, the pledge signals an intensifying cultural backlash against Israel’s handling of the conflict.
