In Israel, the film “Sea”, which tells the story of a Palestinian boy’s life, won the prestigious “Ophir” award and was recognized as the best film of the year. In addition, the movie is planned to be submitted by Israel for the 2026 “Oscar” in the “Best International Feature Film” category.
However, Minister of Culture Miki Zohar criticized this decision and declared that state funds would no longer be allocated to the film industry. According to him, awarding the film could be seen as “an insult to Israeli soldiers.”
The film portrays the dream of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy living in the West Bank to see the sea. He sets out for Tel Aviv but is stopped at a checkpoint. Nevertheless, he secretly enters Israel and searches for his father who works there as a migrant. The main role was played by 13-year-old Muhammad Ghazzawi, who won the “Best Actor” award, becoming the youngest recipient of this prize.
The head of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, Asaf Amir, responded to the minister’s words by saying: “At a time when the Gaza war is bringing heavy consequences, seeing the pain of the other side gives hope.”
Meanwhile, thousands of Hollywood filmmakers announced a boycott of Israeli film organizations. They accuse the country of “participating in genocide.” The UN Commission of Inquiry also recently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, but Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected these conclusions, calling them “baseless and fabricated.”
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