Nadav Lapid Drops Out Of Marseille Festival Over
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- Nadav Lapid dropped out of jury duty at the Marseille Film Festival after filmmakers set to screen films withdrew them in protest of his presence, as part of a cultural boycott of Israel.
- The Marseille Film Festival condemned the boycott, stating that dissenting voices like Lapid's — a consistent critic of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and his government — 'should be welcomed and listened to.'
- Lapid has lived in exile in France for many years; his latest feature, 'Yes' (2025), is a satire of Israel's ruling class set after the October 7 attacks and received partial funding from the Israeli Film Fund.
- Some critics argue that because 'Yes' was partially funded by the Israeli Film Fund, Lapid is complicit in the Israeli government's actions and falls within the scope of cultural boycotts of the country.
- Hundreds of French film figures — including Natalie Portman, Jacques Audiard, and Justine Triet — signed an open letter in Le Monde defending Lapid, declaring 'no one can be reduced to a passport.'
- The boycotting filmmakers defended their action in a statement, saying they aim to work 'against an approved colonial and genocidal reality,' per Euronews.
Why it matters: The episode crystallizes a fault line in cultural boycotts of Israel: whether critics who receive state-linked funding can be excluded alongside the state itself. With hundreds of France's top film figures — including Portman, Audiard, and Triet — publicly mobilizing, the Marseille standoff has escalated from a festival dispute into a national debate over artistic solidarity, citizenship, and the limits of cultural sanction.
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