From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Culture minister slams the 2 Israeli Oscar nominees as ‘amplifying the narrative of our enemies’
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Culture Minister Miki Zohar assails the two Israeli films nominated today for the Academy Awards.
“Butcher’s Stain,” made by Meyer Levinson-Blount while at Tel Aviv University’s film school, has been nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. The film follows Samir, an Arab butcher in Tel Aviv, who sets out on a journey to prove his innocence after he’s accused of removing posters of Israeli hostages being held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
And “Children No More: Were and Are Gone,” directed by award-winning filmmaker Hilla Medalia, has been nominated for Best Documentary Short Film. It is about a weekly left-wing vigil that began in March 2025 in Tel Aviv, as a handful of protesters held photos of children killed in Gaza, a gathering which grew over time into a prominent silent protest.
“Look surprised. The two Israeli films nominated for an Oscar are against Israel,” Zohar tweets, saying this reiterates the importance of a reform he has led, which has included the sweeping cancellations of a series of 2026 Israeli arts awards he says are biased in favor of the left. The actions have been met with protests from Israeli artists and organizations who claim the government is censoring criticism of it.
In another statement quoted by Hebrew media, Zohar says both movies “amplify the narrative of our enemies and damage Israel’s reputation. One presents Israel as slaughtering Gaza’s children, and the other presents Israel as racist toward Arab citizens.”
He argues that this means international award nominations must not be a criterion for getting funds from the Israeli state, and that, rather, the decisive factor should be the films’ reception inside Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.