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From left to right: James Wilson, Leonard Blavatnik and Jonathan Glazer
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
As Oscar night fades in the rearview, arguments over who was robbed and who had the prettiest dress continue to recede. However, one story continues: a reaction (and a reaction against the reaction) to the acceptance speech taught by Jonathan Glazer with producers James Wilson and Len Blavatnik when The area of interest won best international film.
glazer, The area of interestThe writer and director said (and it is important to get it right) that his film set in Auschwitz “shows where dehumanization leads at its worst” and continued “at this moment we are here as men who refute their Judaism and the Holocaust by being kidnapped.” . for an occupation that has brought so many innocent people into conflict,” in reference to the conflict in the Middle East. Glazer, clearly emotional, added: “whether it be the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza.”
Many immediately seized on this, angry that Glazer would “refute their Judaism.” We’ll give some people the benefit of the doubt that they misheard or misinterpreted his statement, which certainly could have been worded a little less ambiguously. Glazer, most would say, was pointing the finger at those he believes exploit Jewish history and sentiment for a policy he disagrees with, without declaring, “I’m not Jewish anymore!”
The subsequent screams and screams (why, oh why, no? any How many of us go online?) missed an unusual contour of this story.
Joining Glazer on the Oscar stage, representing the “we” of her remarks, were producer Wilson and executive producer Blavatnik. Wilson, although he accepted a BAFTA earlier this year, commented that “we should care about the death of innocent people in Gaza or Yemen in the same way that we think about the death of innocent people in Mariupol or in Israel,” a statement very sympathetic to what Glazer had to say.
Blavatnik’s situation is a little more unusual. The 66-year-old billionaire, born to a Jewish family in Soviet-era Ukraine and now holding British and American citizenship, was last in the news. in December when he announced a withholding of donations to Harvard following controversy surrounding its then-president Claudine Gay and accusations of indulgence toward anti-Semitism. (Harvard Medical School includes a Blavatnik Institute. If you’ve sat in the elegant seats at Carnegie Hall recentlyYou’ve been in the first tier of the Blavatnik family and a visit to the Tate Modern in London probably included the Blavatnik Building; His name is everywhere.)
Blavatnik too has a majority stake in an Israeli television channel and, according to Jewish ePhilanthropyis “a major donor to several Israeli and Jewish causes, including a Chabad-run food bank in southern Israel, the National Library of Israel and Birthright Israel.”
Although Blavatnik kept a steely expression during Glazer’s speech, one wonders if she approved every sentence in advance. If the answer is “yes,” it represents something of a change for the billionaire who was friendly enough with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the statesman suggested he buy an Israeli news channel and, by Haaretz, “turn it into Israeli Fox News.” If the answer is “no,” it was a pretty bold move on Glazer’s part.
Glazer representatives did not respond to THRThe request for clarification.
Blavatnik’s reps responded: “I’m afraid we won’t be commenting on the Oscars, although clearly Len and everyone at Access (Industries) are incredibly proud of the win.”
Blavatnik’s representatives gave a slightly longer response to the editor-in-chief of eJewishPhilanthropy, saying“Sir Leonard doesn’t comment on the Oscars, but he may reflect that he is extremely proud of them.” The area of interest and the recognition it has received. “His long-standing support for Israel is unwavering and well documented.”
Blavatnik, who made her initial fortune by acquiring aluminum smelting facilities after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has diversified heavily into real estate, gaming and entertainment in recent years. He financed several Warner Bros. films in the 2010s, as well as Lee Daniels’. The ButlerMel Gibson mountain ridge and Martin Scorsese Silence. He also bought a large percentage of RatPac-Dune, which has since been absorbed into his broader company. (Both Brett Ratner and Steve Mnuchin were said to frequent his 164 foot yacht.) Your company, Access entertainment, owns a substantial stake in Warner Music Group, where Blavatnik is listed as vice president, and Access is an equity investor and co-financier of A24. As such, Blavatnik is credited as an executive producer on several of the company’s recent and upcoming films, such as The groom is afraid, The iron claw, love lies bleeding, troublemaker and I saw the television shine.
These last two influence the current disconnection a little. troublemakerScreenwriter, director and star Julio Torres recently continued Late Night with Seth Meyers wearing a T-shirt that said “Viva! Live! Palestine!”. and I saw the television shineScreenwriter and director Jane Schoenbrun has made comments on social media that make it quite evident that they are not exactly supporters of Israel’s current national defense strategy.
To put it in language Ben Shapiro might use, how did this guy…? who gave $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, some of which went to Trump’s legal defense; he made contributions to PACs associated with Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham and Marco Rubio; and who also gave to New York Mayor Eric Adams’ defense fund, end up becoming a patron of all these woke movie directors?
It seems like the kind of paradox that someone will one day make a movie about.