In Israel, the crazy cuts both ways. The Israeli film industry was rocked this morning when Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar announced the government would halt public funding for the Ophir Awards, Israel’s top film honors. The announcement came less than 24 hours after The Sea (HaYam), a drama about a Palestinian boy’s dream of reaching the Mediterranean for the first time, swept the ceremony with five prizes, including Best Picture.
The Ophir Awards are Israel’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, and the Best Picture winner automatically becomes the country’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.
Zohar released a sharply worded statement calling the ceremony “a disgraceful event spitting in the face of Israeli soldiers,” accusing the film of portraying the IDF and the State of Israel in a negative light. “There is no greater insult to Israeli citizens than this embarrassing and detached annual spectacle,” he declared. The Ministry confirmed that from 2026 onward, the Ophir Awards, funded through the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, will no longer receive state support.
A Divisive Film, An International Platform
The Sea, directed by Shai Carmeli Pollak and produced by Baher Agbaria, follows a boy from a village near Ramallah whose greatest wish is to see the sea in Tel Aviv. Thirteen-year-old Mohammed Gazawi, who won Best Actor, became the youngest recipient in Ophir history. “I wish for all the children of the world to live and dream without wars,” he said on stage.
Carmeli Pollak, who also won for Best Screenplay, used his acceptance speech to highlight the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war: “Just two days ago, a friend of mine in Gaza survived an airstrike that killed many people. He wrote me, ‘Today I went to the market and found nothing to eat. We boiled water with spices and drank it.’”
Actor Khalifa Natour, who won Best Supporting Actor, did not attend. In a statement read on his behalf, he described his horror at “the genocide taking place in Gaza,” adding that art felt meaningless in comparison.
Academy Pushes Back
While the Minister condemned the film, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television defended its independence. Chairman Asaf Amir emphasized that members, filmmakers and industry professionals, vote freely, guided by “a commitment to cinematic excellence, artistic freedom, and freedom of expression.”
Without naming Zohar directly, Amir noted: “At a time when parts of the international film community are calling to boycott us, the choice of this film is a resounding answer. I am proud that an Arabic-language film, created through collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, will represent Israel at the Academy Awards.”
A Ceremony Marked by Protest
The awards night itself was politically charged. Dozens of filmmakers arrived wearing black shirts emblazoned with slogans such as “A Child is a Child” and “Stop the War.” Demonstrators outside the venue called for an end to the ongoing conflict.
Carmeli Pollak has long described his work as shaped by activism. In interviews, he has recalled participating in anti-separation wall protests in the West Bank and witnessing first-hand the gap between the pastoral setting of Palestinian villages and the intrusion of armed forces. “The longing for the sea was something I heard again and again,” he explained, noting that many Palestinians he met had never been able to visit the coast.
Film Industry Watch: Continuing Coverage
This latest clash follows Film Industry Watch’s recent reporting in Israeli Cinema Under Siege: Government Reforms, Alleged Corruption, and a Fight for Artistic Survival, which examined Minister Zohar’s broader reforms of Israel’s film funds, allegations of systemic corruption, and the growing struggle of independent filmmakers to survive, as well as systematic gender discrimination against Israel’s male filmmakers, as the crazy cuts both ways. The decision to defund the Ophir Awards further deepens the crisis, tying artistic recognition to political loyalty, and placing Israel’s once-celebrated cinema industry at a dangerous crossroads.
What Comes Next?
The Minister’s decision raises profound questions about the future of Israel’s most prestigious film prize, long regarded as a showcase of the country’s cinematic achievements. For many in the industry, the move represents not only an attack on artistic freedom but also a politicization of cultural institutions.
With The Sea now set to represent Israel in the international spotlight, including a likely Oscar campaign, the controversy is unlikely to fade soon. Instead, it underscores the growing tension between cultural expression and political pressure in Israeli cinema today.
SOURCES:
https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/cinema/2025-09-17/ty-article/00000199-568e-d45d-a3bf-ffcfed2f0000
