Current sectionArt & CultureLapid, a harsh critic of the Israeli government, pulled out of his appearance at a French festival after organizers rescinded his jury invitation over pressure from pro-Palestinian filmmakers who threatened to withdraw their filmsShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeHaaretz06:39 PM • June 09 2026 IDTActress Natalie Portman is among a group of leading figures in the French and international film industry who condemned the boycott of Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid as an "intellectual failure" in an open letter published in Le Monde on Tuesday.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel boycottIsrael cultureFranceIsraeli moviesPro-Palestinian protestCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesTrump-NetanyahuLebanonIDF-GazaKarim KhanBank of IsraelHaQuizHaaretz PodcastNatalie Portman Defends Israeli Director Nadav Lapid After Festival BoycottIsraeli Director Dropped From French Festival Jury Amid pro-Palestinian PressureTribeca Condemns Palestinian 'Dog Rape' Joke by Israeli Film's ProducerBibi-ism: The Concept That Changed Israeli Politics – Mostly for the WorseCreator of 'Persepolis,' Marjane Satrapi, Has 'Died of Sadness' at 56Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI'We Were Ordered to Kill': The 1967 Nakba That Israelis Don't Know AboutOne Killed, Five Wounded in Terror Shooting Rampage in Central IsraelGermany Is Paying a Price for Its Sweeping Support for IsraelThe Paradigm That Led to Oct. 7 Didn't Collapse, It Was Fiction From the StartIf the Netanyahu Government Falls, This Will Be the Reason'Server in the Sky': How Israeli Drones Became a 'Target Generator' Over Gaza