Oscar-winning French director pulls film from Cinema South Festival as Israel boycotts mount

French director Michel Gondry has canceled the screening of his animated film, “Maya, Give Me a Title,” at the upcoming Cinema South Festival in Sderot, alongside other international films that have been withdrawn from the program, organizers said Sunday amid mounting cultural boycotts of Israel over the Gaza war.

Gondry’s award-winning film was scheduled to hold its Israeli premiere during the annual film festival organized by Sapir College, on November 6–13.

“It’s not the only film that has been canceled for political reasons, but we feel what all Israeli film festivals are experiencing,” said Tamir Hod, Cinema South Festival artistic director. “They’re pulling films from us, all over the place.”

Hod did not say which other films had been pulled.

Oscar-winning Gondry directed “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” as well as music videos for Björk, Radiohead, and others. He visited Israel in 2014 as a guest of the Docaviv Festival.

Gondry did not issue a statement, but the move comes as Israel faces a mounting wave of boycotts over the nearly two-year war against Hamas in Gaza that was sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage.

Icelandic artist Björk appeared to have joined a music boycott of Israel as her work became unavailable to Israelis via two key streaming services over the weekend, Hebrew media reported on Sunday.

While international films were being pulled, Sderot’s Cinema South director, Hod, brought young Israeli filmmakers last week to Nantes, France, for a Three Continents Festival film incubator event.

In November, the Cinema South Festival will take place for the first time in its full format since October 7, 2023, at the Sderot Cinematheque. It was scheduled to run in June, but it was postponed due to the war with Iran.

The festival will open in the presence of director Hagai Levi, with a screening of his new six-episode series, “Etty,” which premiered at the recent Venice Film Festival.

“Etty” is a contemporary retelling of the true story of Etty Hillesum, a Jewish woman from occupied Amsterdam whose diary was published after her death.

Alongside the premiere of “Etty,” the festival will offer a special retrospective of Levi’s work, marking 20 years since the release of “In Treatment.”

Screenings will include “Snow in August,” “Premiere,” “The Accursed,” episodes from “Our Boys” and “Scenes from a Marriage,” with an open masterclass for the public.

Levi said in a statement that he was glad that “Etty” was chosen to open this edition of Cinema South Israel, given its attempt to tell the story of one woman’s confrontation with a reality of oppression and killing, and the triumph of her spirit and path to maintaining her humanity even under horrific circumstances.

“I think this story is highly relevant to the events that took place, and are still taking place, in the south of the country, and I want to hope it can provide a measure of inspiration and comfort to its viewers,” wrote Levi.

Levi told the Agence France Presse last week that many artists like him want to leave Israel because of the Gaza war, fearing the consequences of a gathering cultural boycott of their country.

Recently, some 4,000 Hollywood film industry professionals — among them actors Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, and directors Yorgos Lanthimos and Ava DuVernay — signed a petition declaring they will not work with “Israeli film institutions involved in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

They pledged not to screen their films in Israeli festivals, such as the Jerusalem Film Festival, Haifa Film Festival and Cinema South Festival and not to collaborate with local producers, festivals, or broadcasters.