🔗 Share this article

The country's Culture Minister, Miki Zohar, declared that taxpayer money for the Ophir Awards is set to be terminated following the film “The Sea,” which tells the journey of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, was awarded the top film honor.

Minister’s Announcement on X

In a post on the platform X, Zohar said, “Nothing represents a bigger slap in the face to the people of Israel than the shameful and out-of-touch annual awards event.” Zohar continued, “Starting with the 2026 budget, this disgraceful event will no longer be funded by public funds. During my term, taxpayers will not pay for shows disrespect of our brave troops.”

Details of the Winning Film “The Sea”

“This film,” automatically qualifying as Israel’s entry for the Best International Film, is the work of Shai Carmeli-Pollak. It stars a young actor as Khaled who goes on a field trip to the city to visit the beach for the first time but is refused passage at the border and embarks on a dangerous journey to sneak into the country. The young actor, 13 years old, won the best actor award, while co-star Khalifa Natour was awarded best supporting actor. These prizes are voted on by members of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television.

Jurisdictional Questions Over Minister’s Decision

However, it remains unclear if Zohar can actually carry out on his threat: reports indicate that a civil rights organization is investigating if the culture ministry is legally able to withdraw funding from the ceremony.

Minister’s Previous Statements Toward Israeli Cinema

The culture minister had earlier clashed with Israel’s cinema community. Earlier this year, he proposed legislation to reform film funding, channeling government money toward box office hit productions. Additionally, he referred to the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land” as “an act of sabotage against the nation of Israel.”

Responses from Industry Figures

At the ceremony, the Palestinian producer of “The Sea” received the honor by delivering a plea for fairness and tolerance. Agbariya said, “The movie was created out of love for people and film, and its message is one – the entitlement of all children to live and aspire in safety, without blockades, fearlessness, and an end to conflict.” Protests opposing the war in Gaza were noticeable at the ceremony, with attendees wearing shirts with slogans like “a child is a child” and “stop the fighting.”

Agbariya also thanked the Israel Film Fund for supporting the film.

Esteemed filmmaker Uri Barbash, famous for the classic film “Beyond the Walls,” received a career honor and spoke to demand an end to the war. Barbash stated, “It is our moral obligation to bring back every hostage to the embrace of their families, and immediately, to end the damned war and replace the divisive system that declared war on Israeli society.”

In response to Zohar’s comments, the chair of the film academy remarked, “Against the Israeli government’s attacks on local film and arts, and the demands from parts of the global cinema world to boycott us, the selection of ‘The Sea’ is a strong and resounding response.”

Global Boycott and Industry Reactions

The controversy follows a commitment endorsed by more than 3,000 global cinema figures to avoid Israel's cinematic organizations that they claim are “implicated in atrocities and apartheid targeting the Palestinian people.” Well-known actors and filmmakers such as Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Riz Ahmed, and Emma Stone added their support to the letter.

Representatives of the local cinema community described the movement “deeply troubling.” The chairman of the Israeli screenwriters’ guild stated, “In the past, we have collaborated with Palestinian artists on films, TV shows, and non-fiction works that seek to encourage dialogue, mutual understanding, peace and an end to violence… Such actions do not help the cause of peace. Rather, they hurt exactly those who are dedicated to fostering communication and building bridges between communities.”

Major film company Paramount additionally released a comment opposing the initiative, stating, “We do not agree with the campaign to blacklist artists from Israel. Silencing individual professionals based on their nationality hinders better understanding or further the aim of peace.”