Jonathan Glazer Ignores Post-Oscars Backlash: Wars cause destruction, and every time we learn about any such thing taking place, it drenches our hearts in grief, with desperation to do whatever we can to help the people stuck at the grotesque scene.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with 74,000 wounded. To help the survivors, several film and TV stars have come together to auction off one-off experiences in a bid to raise money for humanitarian relief in Gaza.
The listings are being sold as part of Cinema for Gaza, a new organization founded to assist Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the region. This initiative is commenced by journalists and filmmakers Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons.
As mentioned, many celebrities have participated in this initiative, including The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer. The filmmaker was showered with criticism for his speech at the 96th Academy Awards.
Jonathan Glazer donates his film poster amidst backlash of his Oscar speech
Jonathan Glazer won the Oscars for his 2023 holocaust drama, The Zone of Interest. However, when the filmmaker stepped on the podium to receive the honor, his winning speech stirred controversy. In his acceptance speech, Glazer addressed the ongoing Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. He stated:
“All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. Not to say, ‘Look what they did then,’ rather ‘Look what we do now.’ Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present. 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. Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”
The speech didn’t go well with everyone as they criticized Glazer’s words for fueling “a growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world, in the United States, and in Hollywood.” Over one thousand Jewish Creatives, executives, and Hollywood professionals signed an open letter denouncing Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar speech for The Zone of Interest.
Now, the filmmaker has supported the cause and participated in the initiative to help raise funds for the survivors of the attack on Gaza. Glazer donated signed posters for the Cinema for Gaza auction. He, along with the Zone of Interest producer James Wilson, donated seven Zone of Interest posters and a selection of posters from his 2014 film Under the Skin. The gift is one of the most in-demand items in the auction, with a current bid of £2,750 ($3,450). The auction has currently raised over £42,000 ($52,800).
