A producer for “Zone of Interest” is disagreeing with director Jonathan Glazer’s remarks at the Oscars where he criticized the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Danny Cohen, the executive producer of “Zone of Interest,” said in an interview on the episode of the “Unholy” podcast that Hamas is responsible for the war and continuing it. “Unholy” podcast released Thursday.
Describing Hamas as a “genocidal terrorist organization,” Cohen expressed blame on Hamas for the tragic war and civilian loss.
When accepting the Academy Award for best international feature film, Glazer addressed the conflict in Gaza. spoke out about the conflict in Gaza.
The film “Zone of Interest” depicts the family life of a Nazi commander living near the Auschwitz concentration camp, where over 1 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
Glazer said, “Our film shows the extreme consequences of dehumanization. It has influenced our past and present.”
Reading from a statement, he stated, “At this moment, we reject the hijacking of our Jewish identity and the Holocaust by an occupation that has led to suffering for many innocent people.”
He continued, “Whether it’s the victims in Israel on October 7th or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all are victims of dehumanization. How do we fight against it?” Glazer said to applause.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported last month that over 30,000 people died in the war in Gaza. have died The fighting started in response to Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7th that killed 1,200 people. About 240 people were kidnapped during the October attack.
Cohen disagreed with Jonathan on this, expressing steadfast support for Israel.
He added, “My support for Israel is unwavering.”
Cohen stated, “It’s his film. He can speak his mind,” to the “Unholy” co-hosts Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland.
He acknowledged, “He’s strong, and I’m sure he’ll stand by it. But for me, it wasn’t the right time and didn’t have enough context.”
Calling Glazer's Oscars speech a “distraction,” Cohen expressed his regret that people are focusing more on what was said for 30 seconds instead of the remarkable film that took 10 years to make.
