Rich Polk/PMC
Jonathan Glazer's Oscar acceptance speech Area of interest Glazer's Oscar win for Best International Feature Film has drawn condemnation from more than a thousand actors, creatives and Hollywood executives over the past few days, but there are also some in the entertainment industry who have spoken out in support of Glazer and his speech. (For full details on Glazer's speech and the backlash, click here.)
For context, here is the entirety of Glazer's speech:
Thank you very much. I'll read, I'm afraid.
Thank you to the Academy for this honor, to our partners A24 Films for the access, the Polish Film Institute, the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, and my producers, actors and collaborators.
All our choices were to reflect and confront us in the present. I am not saying look what they did then, but rather look what we are doing now.
Our film shows where dehumanization leads to its worst. It has shaped all of our past and present. And now, we stand here as men refuting their Judaism and the Holocaust, hijacked by the occupation that led to the struggle of so many innocent people.
Whether the victims of October – whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist? Alexandria, the girl who shines in the movie as she shines in life, chose to do so. I dedicate this to her memory and resistance. Thank you.
yesterday, She said Star Zoe Kazan shared a series of tweets that read, in part: “Kind of shocking because anyone who saw Zone of Interest could be shocked by what Glazer said at the Oscars… a film hell-bent on not letting its audience escape into emotions or selfhood.” “Congratulations, this turns the mirror around instead, asking us to look at ourselves and think…that the person who made this film might ask us the same thing while accepting an award for his work…It makes me very sad that this would even be considered a political stance.”
Among others who spoke in support was I am a Virgo Creator Boots Riley. “Shout out to Jonathan Glazer,” Riley wrote on X. He praised Glazer for, among other things, “for speaking out against the atrocities in Gaza and saying that his film is about the present day.”
Massive Attack also said: “Jonathan Glazer is a filmmaker of the highest integrity, craft, and courage. A filmmaker who researches his subject with the utmost care, and weighs his artistic judgments with the utmost care and profound humanity. That care, judgment, and humanity led to the conclusions of his discourse. Symbiosis.”
Directors Asif Kapadia and Jesse Peretz were among those who expressed this In support of Glazer's speech, according to Variety, actor Mark Ruffalo was among many who applauded the speech in the auditorium on the night. Industry professionals who posted in support of the letter included Blacklist founder Franklin Leonard and Red Sea Film Festival programmer Kaleem Aftab. Since the publication of the letter condemning Glazer's speech, there have been a slew of supportive messages for Glazer on social media, including from prominent film critics including Jay Lodge and Dave Ehrlich, independent filmmakers such as Mark Cousins, and non-profit organizations including Jewish . Vote for peace. These messages, in turn, sparked praise and criticism.
Perhaps the most surprising response to the letter was what the director of the Auschwitz Memorial, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywinski, posted on that organization's official X page.
“In his Oscar acceptance speech, Jonathan Glazer issued a global moral warning against dehumanization,” the statement begins. His goal was not to descend to the level of political discourse. Critics who expected a clear political stance or a film limited to genocide did not understand the depth of its message. Area of interest It is not a film about the Holocaust. It is primarily a profound warning about humanity and its nature.
Following the backlash against his post, Cywinski later clarified that “Glazer's short, emotional, and widely criticized Oscar acceptance speech is open to interpretation… I never wanted to cause any hurt or anger. My goal was to remind us that the role of memory is Confronting each of us with the most disturbing ethical and moral questions.
Beyond that, he started out as an independent filmmaker (who describes himself as Jewish on the platform). Change.org petition To support Glazer. The petition has collected 573 signatures since it was posted yesterday, but the signatories are not publicly visible at the moment.
Andreas Weissmann contributed to this report.
