Jewish actors on the speech
450 Jewish Hollywood executives and creatives, including Debra Messing from Will & Grace and Eli Roth, the director of Hostel, have signed an open letter criticizing director Jonathan Glazer for the speech he made at this year’s Oscars.
Glazer was receiving the Oscar for Best International Film for his film The Zone of Interest, which follows a commandant of Auschwitz and his wife as they attempt to create a utopian community close to the camp.
Glazer’s speech
“Our movie depicts the worst case scenario of dehumanization,” Glazer stated. “At this moment, we are men who deny being Jewish and that the Holocaust was appropriated by an occupation. This has caused conflict for a great number of innocent people, including the victims of October 7th in Israel and the current Gaza attack. How can we resist this dehumanization?”
Now, a wide range of Jewish Hollywood professionals, including producer Amy Pascal of Venom, actor Jennifer Jason Leigh, and author Amy Sherman-Palladino of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, have denounced his comments in a statement.
Numerous Hollywood professionals, including executives, creatives, and actors like Debra Messing, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianna Margulies, Brett Gelman, director Eli Roth, writer Amy Sherman-Palladino, and producer Amy Pascal, signed. Apart from the letter, the public’s reaction to Glazer’s comments has been conflicted; besides condemnation, some people who are advocating for a cease-fire have also endorsed it.
Glazer’s silence on the statement
After being contacted by the sources, Glazer remained silent. When the sources asked for comments, representatives for Messing, Leigh, Margulies, Roth, Sherman-Palladino, and Pascal did not immediately respond.
What’s the plot of the Academy Award–winning movie The Zone of Interest?
During the just concluded Academy Awards 2024, the Oscar-winning movie created a stir. In addition to winning Best Foreign Film, it was a contender for Best Picture, a title that Christopher Nolan finally won for Oppenheimer.
The German-language film, produced in the UK, The Zone of Interest, is set during the Holocaust outside the gates of Auschwitz and is partially inspired on Martin Amis’ 2014 novel. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller play Rudolf Höss, the Auschwitz commandant, and his wife Hedwig in the film The Zone of Interest. They work to create a dream life for their family in a home and garden that is separated from the Nazi concentration and extermination camp. The shortest distance separates the two.
