Reminder to the Minister of Culture: You Cannot "Request" that a Film not be Screened
- ACRI
- Mar 3
- 1 min read
Following No Other Land’s Oscar win at the Academy Awards for Best Documentary, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, sent a letter to the directors of movie theaters and institutions supported by the ministry requesting that they "not provide an Israeli platform" for the film. The minister claimed, among other things, that the film is propaganda, distorts reality, defames Israel, and damages its reputation. Zohar concluded that there is an obligation "to ensure that State funds are not directed toward financing content that harms the State and serves its enemies."
That evening, we reached out to the legal advisor of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. In our inquiry, ACRI’s legal advisor, Attorney Oded Feller, reminded the Ministry’s legal team that the Minister has no authority to dictate which films may or may not be screened or to send these kinds of “requests” to cultural institutions. Feller emphasized that these “requests” have a chilling effect on institutions that depend on funding from the Ministry, who may hesitate to stop screening films that the minister disapproves of. We asked the legal advisor to clarify to Zohar the limits of his authority, and to reassure cultural institutions that they are not obligated to comply with the minister's request and that no consequences would follow if they did not.
ACRI’s inquiry, March 3, 2025