Danny Cohen, who served as the manager producer on the Academy Award-winning movie “The Zone of Curiosity,” revealed Friday that he doesn’t assist the acceptance speech made by director Jonathan Glazer on the 2024 Oscars.
Within the speech, Glazer, 58 drew parallels between Nazi Germany and the continuing battle in Gaza.
“I simply basically disagree with Jonathan on this,” Cohen, 50, advised Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland on their “Unholy” podcast on Friday. “The warfare and the continuation of the warfare is the duty of Hamas, a genocidal terrorist group which continues to carry and abuse the hostages, which doesn’t use its tunnels to guard the harmless civilians of Gaza however makes use of it to cover themselves and permit Palestinians to die.”
“It’s actually essential to acknowledge it’s upset lots of people and lots of people really feel upset and indignant about it,” he continued. “And I perceive that anger frankly.”
In response to Cohen, he has been repeatedly contacted by a number of members of the Jewish group who considered the movie — which received Finest Worldwide Function and Finest Sound — as an essential piece of Holocaust schooling however is upset it’s “blended up with what’s occurring now [in Gaza], whether or not that was Jonathan’s intention or not to try this.”
Whereas talking to each Levi and Freedland, Cohen admitted that “the warfare is tragic and terrible and the lack of civilian life is terrible” and “[blames] Hamas for that.”
He additionally said that it’s “regrettable” that the profitable movie has been overshadowed by controversy.
“John spent 10 years making the movie and has made one thing exceptional, however individuals are speaking extra this week about what he stated for 30 seconds,” Cohen stated. “And I feel that’s regrettable as a result of I’d love simply the dialog that he centered on, on the movie itself. So John has the correct to say what he desires to say, however, you already know, I don’t agree with what he stated.”
The Submit reached out to Glazer for remark.
In his acceptance speech, Glazer said, “Our movie exhibits the place dehumanization leads at its worst, it formed all of our previous and current.”
“Proper now we stand right here as males who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to battle for therefore many harmless folks,” Glazer continued. “Whether or not the victims of October the seventh in Israel or the continuing assault on Gaza, all of the victims of this dehumanization, how will we resist?”
Glazer’s speech was met with thunderous applause from the star-studded viewers.
“The Zone of Curiosity” tells the story of Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), the Nazi officer and commandant of Auschwitz throughout World Battle II, and juxtaposes his residence life along with his spouse Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) and their 5 youngsters to the horrors of the Holocaust occurring proper subsequent door.
The speech was delivered alongside producers James Wilson and Len Blavatnik, with the latter revealing that he had not seen or heard the remarks till in the course of the present.
“No, he didn’t clear the speech,” Lisa Shields, a spokesperson for Blavatnik, advised The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. “However he’s extremely happy with the movie and the accolades it has obtained and he doesn’t wish to distract from the essential themes of the film.”
Response to Glazer’s impassioned speech has divided a number of members of the general public with a number of folks supporting the filmmaker’s feedback whereas an equal variety of folks have condemned the Hollywood director’s comparability.
Stefanie Fox, the manager director of Jewish Voice for Peace, advised Selection that Glazer “speaks for the huge and rising variety of Jews who honor our histories by becoming a member of our Palestinian siblings of their wrestle for freedom and justice.”