Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar is threatening to withdraw state funding from the Ophir Awards, widely seen as Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars, after a film critical of Israel took home the top honor. The winning feature, The Sea, directed by Israeli filmmaker Shai Carmeli-Pollak and produced by Palestinian Bahaer Agbarian, follows the story of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the West Bank who sets out to see the ocean for the first time. His plans are derailed when Israeli authorities deny him passage at a checkpoint, per deadline. “Determined to fulfil his dream, he sneaks into Israel and embarks on a dangerous journey to the coast, dodging checkpoint, military and police,” the film’s description reads.
Zohar, a member of Israel’s conservative Likud party, did not hold back his anger. “There is no greater slap in the face of Israeli citizens than the embarrassing and detached annual Ophir Awards ceremony,” he said, labeling the outcome “disgraceful.” He further declared, “Starting with the 2026 budget, this pathetic ceremony will no longer be funded by taxpayers’ money. Under my watch, Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for a ceremony that spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers.”
The result carries even more weight given that, under Israeli rules, the Ophir winner automatically becomes the country’s official submission for the Academy Awards. That precedent could be challenged following this decision, though it remains unclear whether Zohar can legally revoke funding. Israel’s Association for Civil Rights has already suggested it would contest such a move in court.
Meanwhile, Assaf Amir, Chairman of the Israeli Film Academy, expressed optimism that The Sea will indeed advance to the Oscars. “Israeli cinema once again demonstrates its relevance and ability to respond to complex and painful realities. This is a film full of empathy—for all human beings. Especially in the harsh reality we live in, as the never-ending war in Gaza takes a terrible toll in death and destruction, the ability to see the ‘other,’ even if he is not of your own people, gives me small hope,” he said. “In the face of the Israeli government’s attacks on Israeli cinema and culture, and the calls from parts of the international film community to boycott us, the selection of The Sea is a powerful and resounding response. I am proud that an Arabic-language film, born of collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, will represent Israel in the Oscar competition.”
Amir’s remarks reference a broader boycott effort targeting “Israeli film institutions… that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” which has already drawn more than 4,500 signatures from actors, directors, and other industry professionals, including Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, and Mark Ruffalo. The open letter tied to the campaign reads: “As filmmakers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions. In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.”
