‘Zone of Interest’ director backed by Jewish Hollywood colleagues

The director of award-winning film “Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer, has been backed by more than 150 Jewish Hollywood figures, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, over his acceptance speech at the Oscars earlier this year. (File)

• Over 150 people, including Joaquin Phoenix, sign letter supporting Glazer after his Oscars speech drew ire for criticizing Israel
• ‘We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom’

LONDON: The director of award-winning film “Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer, has been backed by more than 150 Jewish Hollywood figures, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, over his acceptance speech at the Oscars earlier this year.
Glazer took the opportunity of his movie being named Best International Feature Film to raise the issue of Israel’s war in Gaza, saying he refuted his “Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”
The director faced fierce criticism for his words, but in an open letter also signed by the likes of director Joel Cohen, the signatories noted their alarm “to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.
“Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.”
The letter added: “We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”
It continued: “Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling anti-semitism.”
The signatories also called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, adding: “We are proud Jews who denounce the weaponization of Jewish identity and the memory of the Holocaust to justify what many experts in international law, including leading Holocaust scholars, have identified as a ‘genocide in the making.’ We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom.”
Glazer has also been backed publicly by other figures from the movie industry and further afield.
British film director Ken Loach called Glazer “very brave,” telling Variety magazine: “I’m sure he understood the possible consequences, which makes him braver still, so I’ve got great respect for him and his work.”
Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz Memorial, said in a statement: “In his Oscar acceptance speech, Jonathan Glazer issued a universal moral warning against dehumanization. His aim was not to descend to the level of political discourse.
“Critics who expected a clear political stance or a film solely about genocide did not grasp the depth of his message.”