Portuguese Director Calls for Film Boycott of City Cine Chain Over Gaza Stance
A prominent Portuguese film director is urging colleagues to withdraw their work from the City Cine chain due to its ownership’s perceived support for Israeli actions in Gaza. The call to action, issued Friday, reflects a growing wave of artistic protest surrounding the ongoing conflict.
Director Teresa villaverde, following a restoration screening of her 1994 film Three Brothers at the City Alvalade cinema in Lisbon, released a statement to PÚBLICO newspaper. She addressed “fellow directors, producers and distributors,” encouraging them to cancel scheduled release dates for their films while the cinema chain “is in the hands of those who agree and defend the actions of Israel, of those who agree and deny a genocide [in Gaza] of which we are all witnesses.”
The restoration of Three brothers was undertaken by Cinemateca Portuguesa, and the screening on Tuesday featured actress Maria de Medeiros. Villaverde’s statement arrives amidst heightened global scrutiny of corporate and institutional responses to the conflict.
The director’s appeal centers on the belief that the current ownership of City Cine actively supports policies she vehemently opposes. This stance,she argues,necessitates a collective response from the Portuguese film community. The statement doesn’t detail specific actions by the cinema chain’s owners, but frames their position as one of alignment with the Israeli government and denial of the severity of the situation in Gaza.
As of Saturday, city Cine has not issued a public response to Villaverde’s call for a boycott. It remains unclear whether other filmmakers will join the protest or how the cinema chain will address the allegations. The situation is developing, and further statements from both Villaverde and City Cine are anticipated. The potential impact on film distribution and exhibition in Portugal is currently unknown, but the director’s statement has already ignited a conversation within the Portuguese film industry regarding ethical considerations and political duty.
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