Paramount is the first of the major movie studios to condemn the controversial pledge.<\/b>
\nMega film studio Paramount has denounced a pledge this week by more than 4,000 actors and filmmakers, including some Hollywood A-listers, to boycott the Israeli film industry \u2014 accusing it of being complicit in \u201cgenocide and apartheid\u201d against Palestinians.
Paramount is the first of the major movie studios to condemn the pledge, according to Deadline.
The controversial pledge was issued in an open letter signed by some top-tier actors Olivia Colman, Lily Gladstone, Emma Stone, Peter Sarsgaard, and Elliot Page, as well as director Ava DuVernay.
The letter called for the boycott, claiming Israel\u2019s film studios are implicated in the destruction of the Palestinian people.
\u201cInspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid,\u201d founded in 1987 by Martin Scorsese and the late Jonathan Demme, \u201cwho refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions \u2014 including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies \u2014 that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,\u201d it read.
In response, Paramount blasted Workers for Palestine for \u201csilencing individual creative artists based on their nationality\u201d as Israel\u2019s war with Hamas rages on, the outlet reported.
\u201cAt Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding and preserve the moments, ideas and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,\u201d the company said in statement to Deadline.
\u201cWe do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cThe global entertainment industry should be encouraging artists to tell their stories and share their ideas with audiences throughout the world.
\u201cWe need more engagement and communication \u2014 not less.\u201d
The Israeli Film and TV Producers Association issued their own response to the pledge, claiming \u201cThe signatories of this petition are targeting the wrong people.\u201d<\/p>\n