After vowing to cut all funding to film industry, culture minister says budgets ‘will be changed’

Culture Minister Miki Zohar reiterates his threats to cut funding from the film industry, although he appears to walk back his promise to end all state budgets for movies.

“The creators of films that harm IDF soldiers will not receive money from the citizens of Israel,” writes Zohar on X. “Not on my watch.”

The minister says he has followed through on his threat to end funding for the Ophir Awards — which he cut after the annual ceremony gave its top prize this year to “The Sea,” a film about a Palestinian boy who dreams of seeing the Mediterranean.

When it comes to funding the film industry in general, Zohar says that “there will be a change in the film budgets. The party is over.”

On Sunday, Zohar vowed to cancel the Film Law and to entirely end any state funding for the film industry. He was reacting in anger after a number of nominees backed out of his planned “Israeli Film Awards,” which he set up as an alternative to the Ophir Awards.