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Laszlo Nemes, director of the famous Holocaust film Son of SaulHe spoke out against the speech he made Area of interest Director Jonathan Glazer, when he received his Oscar last weekend.
Glazer sparked support but also significant backlash with his speech, in which he said he and his producer James Wilson “stand here as men refuting their Judaism and the Holocaust hijacking the occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people.” Whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza.
“Area of interest An important film… Its director should have remained silent instead of revealing his lack of understanding of history and the forces that destroyed civilization, before or after the Holocaust.
“If he had taken the responsibility that comes with a film like this, he would not have resorted to the talking points spread by propaganda aimed at eliminating, ultimately, all Jewish presence from the Earth.
“It is particularly troubling in an era in which we have reached pre-Holocaust levels of hatred against Jews – this time, in a modern and ‘progressive’ way. Today, the only form of discrimination that is not only tolerated, but encouraged, is anti-Jewish Sublime.
Read Mongoose's full statement here
Son of Saul And Area of interest Both premiered at Cannes, eight years apart, where they each won the Grand Prix (runner-up prize) at the festival, and both are set in Auschwitz in 1944.
Danny Cohen, the film's executive producer, said Friday that it was “fundamentally different.”[d]With Glazer's comments.