PARIS: Acclaimed Israeli screenwriter Hagai Levi has expressed concern that the growing cultural boycott of Israel risks silencing domestic voices critical of the government’s actions in Gaza.
The Tel Aviv-based writer behind hit series like “Scenes from a Marriage” and “In Treatment” understands international anger over Israel’s siege of Gaza but worries about unintended consequences for dissenting artists.
Levi revealed that many Israeli artists are considering leaving the country due to the war and its cultural repercussions, with emigration expected to increase significantly in coming years.
The 62-year-old screenwriter shared these concerns during the Venice Film Festival while presenting his latest series “Etty” about a Jewish Dutch woman’s spiritual awakening in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.
He noted that approximately 90% of Israel’s artistic community opposes the government’s policies and actively participates in protests despite facing budget cuts and reduced freedom of speech.
Levi emphasised that boycotting these critical voices actually weakens their position while pro-government entertainment figures should understand their supportive stance will have consequences.
The boycott movement draws inspiration from the cultural isolation of apartheid South Africa in the 1960s when artists refused to engage with the white supremacist government.
Levi’s new series explores the process of dehumanising others to justify violence, drawing parallels to the ongoing Gaza conflict through historical perspective.
The production uses contemporary Amsterdam settings with modern clothing and vehicles alongside 1940s Nazi uniforms to create unsettling connections between past and present persecution.
Levi aims to make viewers consider what political repression might look like today while speaking to populations currently in distress or danger. – AFP
