Israeli culture minister threatens film funding after Palestinian film takes top prize

Israel's culture minister, Miki Zohar, has threatened to cut off all state funding to the country's film industry, escalating his campaign to silence Palestinian voices and punish cultural figures who refuse to fall in line with the far-right government's ideology.

Zohar issued the warning on Sunday amid backlash to his plan to stage an alternative film awards ceremony, a move widely seen as an attempt to undermine Israel's official Ophir Awards after this year's top prize went to a film highlighting a Palestinian child's experience.

The winning film, The Sea, centres on a Palestinian boy visiting the sea in Tel Aviv ​​​​​​for the first time as part of a school trip, a narrative that has drawn fury from Israel's political right.

In remarks carried by Israeli media, Zohar lashed out at film workers who criticised his alternative ceremony, accusing them of orchestrating a boycott. He responded by threatening sweeping financial retaliation against the entire industry.

"I will work, starting tomorrow, to cancel the Film Law and end funding of the film industry to the tune of NIS 130 million (around $40.8 million) a year," Zohar said, adding that filmmakers could produce whatever work they wanted "on their own dime, not with public money".

Zohar later claimed that unnamed figures in the industry had pressured artists and professionals who initially supported his alternative awards ceremony, framing himself as the victim while deploying the language of intimidation.

In a striking reversal of reality, Zohar branded his critics "violent extremists" and accused them of "threatening" nominees associated with his proposed ceremony, despite no evidence of violence or coercion.

Several prominent figures have since withdrawn from the event, including actress Irit Kaplan, director Erez Tadmor, cinematographer Amit Yasur, actress Nur Fibak and editor Einat Glaser-Zarhin, citing the deeply polarising and politically charged nature of the ceremony.

Zohar has repeatedly targeted Palestinian representation in Israeli cinema. Earlier this year, he froze funding for the Ophir Awards altogether, accusing the ceremony of promoting a Palestinian perspective and portraying the Israeli army in a negative light.

In a post on X in September, he described the Ophir Awards as a "slap in the face" to Israelis, declaring that from 2026 the event would no longer receive public funding.

"Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for a ceremony that spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers," he wrote.

Zohar has also attacked Palestinian-led productions beyond Israel. He described the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land as "sabotage against the state of Israel", despite its international acclaim and documentation of life under occupation.

The minister's outburst comes as Palestinian cinema gains unprecedented global recognition. This year, three films centred on Palestinian stories have been shortlisted for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category, drawing widespread praise for their storytelling and historical depth.

The shortlisted films are All That’s Left of You, directed by Cherien Dabis and submitted by Jordan; Palestine 36, directed by Annemarie Jacir and submitted by Palestine; and The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania and submitted by Tunisia.