Joaquin Phoenix and Joel Coen express support for Jonathan Glazer amid Oscars backlash
Joaquin Phoenix and Joel Coen are among the Jewish creatives to sign a new open letter in support of The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer following his victory speech at the Academy Awards last month.
Glazer, who is Jewish himself, explores the Holocaust in his new film, The Zone of Interest, which won an Oscar for ‘Best International Feature’. When he took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre, the filmmaker addressed the conflict between Israel and Gaza, stating, “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”
Glazer continued: “Whether the victims of October 7th or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all of the victims of this dehumanisation, how do we resist?”
The director’s comments have been divisive. On March 18th, over 1,000 creatives from the Jewish community teamed up to sign an open letter denouncing his speech, claiming it helped enhance “growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world”. Furthermore, The Zone of Interest executive producer Danny Cohen stated he “fundamentally” disagrees with Glazer’s remarks.
However, Glazer has also received support from fellow British director Ken Loach, who said the speech “was hugely valuable in that it shows that diversity. So I’ve got great respect for what he did.”
Now, Phoenix and Coen have joined forces with more than 150 more Jewish figures in the creative industries to express support for Glazer amid the ongoing backlash. Elliott Gould, Chloe Fineman, Rain Phoenix, Lenny Abrahamson, David Cross, Boots Riley, Tom Stoppard and Mike Leigh have also signed the open letter.
The statement reads: We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.”
It continues: “Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”
“The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish. Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism,” the letter adds.
Their message concludes by stating: “We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone.”
Glazer is yet to address the backlash to his comments. However, he did recently donate signed posters from The Zone of Interest to The Cinema for Gaza auction, with the proceeds going to those devastated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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