Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has announced plans to cut government funding for the Ophir Awards, the country’s national film awards, after the film The Sea won Best Picture. Zohar accused the ceremony of being “a slap in the face of Israeli citizens” and of disrespecting Israeli soldiers.
The Sea, directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak, follows a 12-year-old Palestinian boy from the West Bank who is denied entry at a checkpoint but makes a dangerous journey to see the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. The movie also won top acting prizes: Best Actor for 13-year-old Muhammad Gazawi.
Zohar said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that from the 2026 national budget onward, Israeli citizens would no longer subsidize what he described as “an embarrassing and detached” awards ceremony that “spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers.”
The Israeli Academy of Film and Television defended the decision of the Ophir jury, saying the selection was based on artistic merit and affirmed The Sea’s role as a voice for those often underrepresented. Rights groups are reportedly examining whether the Culture Minister has legal authority to withdraw funding from the Ophir Awards.
