Natalie Portman, Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Arthur Harari (“The Unknown”) and Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”) are among more than 350 film industry figures who have signed an open letter condemning the cultural boycott of Israeli director Nadav Lapid. The latter is a fierce critic of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who has lived in self-imposed exile in France since 2021. His latest film, “Yes!” was called a “blistering attack on Israeli nationalism” by Variety.
The letter, titled “Cinema Is Not an Embassy” and published on Monday in Le Monde newspaper, denounces what it calls a “campaign of intimidation” targeting the politically engaged filmmaker, and “a deliberate effort to exclude a filmmaker from a space of discussion and creation.” Other signatories include Arnaud Desplechin, Claire Denis, Mia Hansen-Løve, Bertrand Bonello, Mati Diop, Stéphane Demoustier, and Romanian director Radu Jude, as well as producers Saïd Ben Saïd and Judith Lou Lévy who worked with Lapid on “Synonym” and “Yes!,” respectively.
The controversy stems from Lapid’s planned participation as a jury member at the FID Marseille international film festival, running July 7–12. Festival director Tsveta Dobreva said Lapid was initially invited “solely out of respect for his cinema,” but that she soon began receiving calls demanding the withdrawal of his invitation. When pressure intensified, the festival proposed a scaled-back arrangement — Lapid would simply present his 2011 debut feature “Policeman” at a public screening and book signing. But then around 10 filmmakers ultimately withdrew their films from the selection, forcing Lapid to pull out entirely. Those who objected Lapid’s participation to the festival pointed out that he accepted partial funding for his 2025 film “Yes” from the Israel Film Fund, which they view as an arm of the Israeli state. In reality, the Israel Film Fund is an independent body that finances many movies, including Palestinian ones, that are critical of Israeli politics.
