Controversy Erupts as Israeli Film About Palestinian Boy Wins Top Honor

Mon Oct 20 2025 21:23:56 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Israel's culture minister threatens to withdraw funding for the Ophir awards after a Palestinian-centered film, 'The Sea,' wins the best film prize, igniting a cultural debate amid ongoing conflict.

Tensions escalate as 'The Sea,' a film depicting a young Palestinian boy's journey, claims the best film award at Israel's Ophir Awards. Culture Minister Miki Zohar criticizes the ceremony and threatens funding cuts, reflecting broader divisions in Israeli society regarding cultural representation amidst ongoing conflict. The film's success raises questions about the artistic community's response to the Israeli-Palestinian situation, demonstrating the intersection of art and political discourse.

Israel's culture minister has threatened to axe funding for the country's national film awards after The Sea, a story about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, won its top award.

The film, which follows a boy from the occupied West Bank who wants to travel to Tel Aviv to see the sea for the first time, won best film at the Ophir Awards - Israel's equivalent of the Oscars.

In a statement on X, Miki Zohar said: There is no greater slap in the face of Israeli citizens than the embarrassing and detached annual Ophir Awards ceremony.

As winner of the best film category at the Ophir awards, The Sea now becomes Israel's entry to the international film category at next year's Oscars.

It is not yet clear whether Zohar has the authority to defund the awards, according to local media.

Stars of The Sea won other major prizes at the awards ceremony, including 13-year-old Muhammad Gazawi who won the best actor award - the youngest ever winner.

In the film, Gazawi plays 12-year-old Khaled who is denied entry to Israel at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint during a class trip to Tel Aviv.

Khaled then sneaks into Israel and attempts to reach the sea while his father, an undocumented labourer in Israel, tries to find him.

During the ceremony, the film's producer Baher Agbariya said the film was about every child's right to live in peace, a basic right we will not give up on.

But in his statement, Zohar described the Ophir Awards as embarrassing and detached. He added: Under my watch, Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for a ceremony that spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers.

Responding to Zohar's comments, Assaf Amir, chair of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, stressed the importance of seeing the 'other' amid the ongoing violence, stating, the selection of The Sea is a powerful and resounding response.

On the broader context, thousands of Hollywood industry professionals have pledged not to work with Israeli film institutions implicated in genocide, following recent escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel initiated a war in Gaza after a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in substantial casualties on both sides. A recent UN commission stated that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a claim Israel has categorically rejected.

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