Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo among celebs pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions ‘implicated in genocide’

(NewsNation) — More than 4,000 actors, directors and other film industry professionals have signed a pledge saying they will refuse to work with Israeli institutions and companies that are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

“As film-makers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognise the power of cinema to shape perceptions” the pledge states. “In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.”

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Along with Edebiri and Ruffalo, other Hollywood names on the list include filmmakers Jonathan Glazer, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer; and actors Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Nicola Coughlan, Andrew Garfield, Harris Dickinson, Bowen Yang, Guy Pearce, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Elliot Page, Olivia Colman, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Riz Ahmed, Josh O’Connor, Cynthia Nixon, among others.

According to the pledge, those who signed the letter will refuse to work with Israeli festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies. On its site’s FAQ page, Film Workers for Palestine stated the pledge does not mean film professionals are prohibited from working with Israeli individuals.

“This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity,” the group said.

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