Miami Beach mayor, city commissioners set to host press conference to discuss proposal to end O Cinema’s lease – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Several meetings are set to be held in Miami Beach on Tuesday to discuss Mayor Steven Meiner’s proposal to shut down a theater for screening a film depicting the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Oscar-winning film, No Other Land, is expected to have sold out screenings this week alone.
The documentary, made by a team including Palestinian activist Basel Adra as well as Israeli journalist Yuva Abraham, promised to provide a “harrowing account of the systematic onslaught of destruction of Palestinian villages in the West Bank at the hands of the Israeli military.”
“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger. We see each other,” Yuval Abraham said while accepting the award.
However, the film is also facing controversy from officials in Miami Beach, claiming the content is antisemitic.
Last week, Mayor Steven Meiner, who is Jewish, demanded the film be pulled from Miami Beach’s O Cinema theater, threatening to cut their lease.
In a letter to O Cinema, he wrote:
“The film director’s comments at the Oscars prove the antisemitic nature of the film, using Jew-hatred propaganda and lies such as ‘ethnic cleansing.’”
Meiner and city commissioners are set to host a virtual town hall on Tuesday.
In a resolution put forth by the mayor, the city states its “desire to identify a new tenant/grantee to operate the movie theater located on the premises that more accurately reflects the city’s values.”
The proposal to terminate O Cinema’s lease has been met with its share of backlash from residents and filmmakers.
Monday afternoon, Meiner and city commissioners received an open letter from more than 600 members of the international filmmaking community, calling the mayor’s effort an attack on freedom of expression. Among them was Miami native Barry Jenkins, who directed the award-winning film Moonlight in 2017.
City commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez was also displeased with the film. However, she says censorship is not the answer, writing regarding the theater:
“It has a longstanding commitment to the Jewish community, and knee-jerk reactions that threaten its future will lead to costly legal battles that waste taxpayer dollars.”
Initially, O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell promised to cancel the film, writing:
This film has exposed a rift which makes us unable to do the thing we’ve always sought out to do which is to foster thoughtful conversations about cinematic works.
However, the day after Marthell’s letter was released, screenings for the film went on as scheduled for the rest of the week.
The theater will be holding a separate press conference today to discuss the future of the film, as well as concerns raised by Meiner’s proposal.
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