Florida theater at risk of closure for showing doc critical of Israeli policy in West Bank

MIAMI BEACH, Florida — The mayor of Miami Beach, Florida, wants to terminate a lease and cut financial support for an independent film theater that screened an Oscar-winning documentary critical of Israeli policy in the West Bank.

Mayor Steven Meiner introduced a resolution describing the film “No Other Land” as antisemitic. City commissioners will discuss the resolution Wednesday during their next meeting.

The film documents the destruction of Masafer Yatta, a Palestinian West Bank village that the IDF says is located in a designated IDF live-fire training zone. It won the Academy Award for best documentary feature.

In 1979, the army expropriated some 30 square kilometers (11.5 square miles) of land in Maafer Yatta and declared it Firing Zone 918. Since then, the Israeli military has sought to evict Palestinians living in eight villages that lie inside the firing zone, most of them collections of low-slung homes with makeshift roofs.

Local Palestinians argued that their presence predates the firing zone, meaning that they cannot be expelled under Israeli law. Israeli authorities contested the Palestinians’ argument.

“No Other Land” opened last Friday at O Cinema, located at the Miami Beach Historic City Hall. Meiner had reached out several days before the premiere to discourage O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell from showing the film.

Spring Break in Miami Beach: No chaos, no mayhem—just strong leadership and real enforcement. With state support, we’re taking back our quality of life. pic.twitter.com/CmQX1MOeaJ

— Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner (@StevenMeiner) March 6, 2025

“The City of Miami Beach has one of the highest concentrations of Jewish residents in the United States,” Meiner said in his letter to Marthell. “The ‘No Other Land’ film is a one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our City and residents.”

Marthell initially agreed not to screen the movie in a response to Meiner, but the showing went on as scheduled.

“My initial reaction to Mayor Meiner’s threats was made under duress,” Marthell said in an email Thursday. “After reflecting on the broader implications for free speech and O Cinema’s mission, I (along with the O Cinema board and staff members) agreed it was critical to screen this acclaimed film.”

O Cinema has always been committed to sharing films that not only entertain but also challenge, educate and inspire meaningful dialogue, Marthell said.

“We understand the power of cinema to tell stories that matter, and we recognize that some stories — especially those rooted in real-world conflicts — can evoke strong feelings and passionate reactions. As they should,” Marthell said. “Our decision to screen ‘No Other Land’ is not a declaration of political alignment. It is a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard.”

In December and January, the city of Miami Beach executed two grants worth about $80,000 for O Cinema, according to the mayor’s proposed resolution. About half the money has already been paid, but the resolution would stop the rest. The city began leasing space to O Cinema in 2019 with the ability to terminate the contract with 180 days of notice, which is what Meiner is seeking to do.

“No Other Land,” which was shot between 2019 and 2023 and released last year, was directed by a group of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.

“When the mayor uses the word antisemitism to silence Palestinians and Israelis who proudly oppose occupation and apartheid together, fighting for justice and equality, he is emptying it of meaning,” Abraham said in an email. “I find that to be very dangerous.”

While the film has earned wide praise from film critics, it has also drawn controversy in Israel.

“Freedom of expression is an important value, but defamation of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not art,” Israeli culture minister Miki Zohar said in a social media post.