Israeli culture minister defunds prestigious film awards after movie about Palestinian boy wins big

Israeli culture minister Miki Zohar has cut funding for the regime’s film academy and its most prestigious awards ceremony, after a movie about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy’s dream of seeing the ocean won the best feature film prize. 

In a statement on social media platform X, Zohar, a member of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, announced that he was suspending funding for the ceremony because he characterized the film as having a pro-Palestinian inclination and portraying Israeli soldiers unfavorably.

“On my watch, the citizens of Israel will not pay out of their pockets for a disgraceful ceremony that spits on Israeli soldiers,” he said. “The citizens of Israel deserve for their tax money to go to more important and valuable places.”

Later on Wednesday, Zohar took another swipe at the Ophir Awards, asserting it promotes “foreign, disconnected narratives against Israel and Israeli soldiers.”

On Tuesday night in Tel Aviv, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television awarded the 2025 Best Picture award to “The Sea” at the Ophir Awards, known as the “Israeli Oscars.”

The film, directed and authored by Shai Carmeli Pollak and produced by Baher Agbariya, narrates the story of a young boy's journey from his home in Ramallah, situated in the occupied West Bank, to the coastal city of Tel Aviv in the Israeli-occupied territories.

“The Sea” garnered four other accolades, including the best actor award for 13-year-old Muhammad Ghazawi, who made history as the youngest individual to receive the recognition. Additionally, Khalifa Natour, who plays the role of the boy’s father, won the best supporting actor award.

It is now scheduled to represent Israel at the Oscars in the category of International Feature Film.

During the ceremony, numerous filmmakers and nominees urged a cessation of the barbaric Israeli war on Gaza, where at least 65,141 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed since October 7, 2023. Other producers denounced the occupying Tel Aviv regime.

“This film is about every child’s right to live in peace, a basic right we will not give up on,” Agbariya said. “Peace and equality are not an illusion, but a possible choice here and now.”

Academy chairman Assaf Amir highlighted that this is a sensitive film about human beings in general, and about its protagonist in particular – a Palestinian child whose only wish is to reach the sea.”

Legal professionals are raising concerns regarding the legality of withdrawing funding from the academy. Lawyer Oded Feller noted that Zohar is “making baseless threats" and lacks the power to deny the funds.

“The ministry’s budget does not belong to his mother, and he is not empowered to interfere with cultural content or the professional judgment of those who select the films,” Feller said.

Last year, the joint Israeli-Palestinian documentary “No Other Land” won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

The film looks at efforts by Palestinian activists to prevent the Israeli military from demolishing their community at the village of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli regime’s reaction was strongly negative, with Zohar calling the win “a regrettable moment for the cinematic world” and depicting the film as “sabotage” against Tel Aviv.

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