Gal Gadot honored at Jerusalem Film Festival amid calls for cultural boycotts

In a stirring opening night at the 42nd Jerusalem Film Festival, Gal Gadot took center stage, proudly declaring her love and loyalty to Israel in the face of ongoing conflict and global pressure to silence Israeli voices.

“I love my country, and I’m proud to be a part of it and to raise our voice for it,” Gadot told a packed audience at Sultan’s Pool on Thursday night. The international actress and producer was honored by both the festival and Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, for her work and public advocacy. Gadot added an emotional note of longing: “I want to breathe again and that will only happen when the hostages come home.”

The festival’s opening took place under the shadow of war and amid a wave of international cultural boycotts. Yet it drew significant local support and international attention a testament to Israel’s enduring creative spirit.

Hollywood producer Lawrence Bender, best known for his work with Quentin Tarantino, received the first major award of the evening. In an emotional acceptance speech, Bender reflected on how Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the global surge in antisemitism transformed him. “It broke me. I knew it was my moment to be here,” he said, revealing that he is now producing Red Alert, a five-part Israeli drama about everyday Israelis who became heroes during the attack.

Festival director Roni Mahadev-Levin used the event’s opening remarks to confront head-on the rising tide of cancel culture targeting Israel’s creative community. “This year, more than ever, we’ve seen an unrelenting wave of attempts to cancel, silence, and boycott,” he said, adding that political groups, NGOs, and even a foreign embassy had pushed to remove certain screenings.

“But we’re here,” Mahadev-Levin declared, “because we believe in the power of cinema to offer moments of hope, comfort, and inspiration.”

Hadassah leaders Dalia Itzik and Carol Ann Schwartz praised Gadot as “a trailblazing woman who serves as an ambassador of Israel and the Jewish people wherever she goes.” Her continued prominence on the global stage and her refusal to stay silent has made her a symbol of Israeli dignity and courage.

The evening concluded with the Israeli premiere of Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, fresh from its Grand Prix win at Cannes. It was a fitting choice for a night rooted in artistic excellence and national pride.

As rockets fall and protests rise, Israel’s cultural life endures unapologetic, proud, and determined to tell its stories to the world.

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