MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The mayor of Miami Beach, Fla., wants to cut financial support by ending the lease of an independent film theatre that screens an Oscar-winning documentary about the Palestinian-Israel conflict.
Mayor Stephen Minor introduced a resolution describing the film “No Other Lands” as anti-Semitic. The mayor will discuss Wednesday’s resolution at the next meeting.
“There are no other lands” at O Cinema, located at Miami Beach’s historic city hall last Friday. Meiner had contacted me a few days before the premiere, discouraging Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell from displaying the film.
“The city of Miami Beach has one of the most concentrated Jewish residents in the United States,” Minor said in a letter to Marcel. “The “Other Landless” film is a one-sided propaganda attack on Jews who are not in line with the values of our cities and inhabitants. ”
Marcel initially agreed not to screen the film in response to the minor, but the show continued as planned.
“My initial reaction to the minor mayor’s threat was under obsessive compulsion,” Marcel said in an email Thursday. “After looking back at the broader impact on the freedom of speech and the mission of o-films, I (the O Cinema committee and staff) agreed that it is important to show this acclaimed film.”
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O Cinema has always been committed to sharing films that not only entertain meaningful dialogue, but also challenge, educate and inspire, Marcel said.
“We understand that we understand the power of film. We recognize that stories, especially stories rooted in real-world conflicts, can evoke strong emotions and passionate responses. They should,” Marcel said. Our decision to screen for “no other lands” is not a declaration of political alignment. It is a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice is worthy of hearing. ”
In December and January, the city of Miami Beach implemented two grants worth around $80,000 by O Cinema, according to the mayor’s proposed resolution. About half of the money has already been paid, but the resolution will stop the rest. The city began leasing space to cinemas with the ability to terminate their contracts with 180-day notice in 2019.
Filmed between 2019 and 2023 and released last year, “No Other Lands” was directed by a group of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, Basel Adora, Hamdambaral, Yubal Abraham and Rachel Zor.
“When the mayor uses the term anti-Semitism to silence the Palestinians and Israelis who are proudly opposed to occupation and apartheid and fight for justice and equality, he emptyes it out of meaning,” Abraham said in an email. “I think that’s very dangerous.”
The film records the destruction of a Palestinian village on the West Bank by Israeli forces. It won the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature and previous awards.
The film has received widespread praise from film critics, but it also portrays controversy.
“While freedom of expression is an important value, the delinquency of Israel’s tool for international promotion is not an art,” Israeli Minister of Culture Miki Zohar said in a social media post.
