Film awards Gala funding 'to end' after award for story of West Bank child

Israel's culture minister, Miki Zohar, has announced that funding for the Ophirs, the country's national film awards, would be axed after The Sea, a film about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, won the best feature film prize.

- Andrew Pulver

In a statement on X, translated by Israeli news media, Zohar said: "There is no greater slap in the face of Israeli citizens than the embarrassing and detached annual Ophir awards ceremony.

"Starting with the 2026 budget, this pathetic ceremony will no longer be funded by taxpayers' money. Under my watch, Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for a ceremony that spits in the faces of our heroic soldiers."

The Sea, which automatically becomes Israel's entry for the best international film Oscar, was written and directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak. It stars Muhammad Gazawi as Khaled, a Palestinian boy who goes on a school trip to Tel Aviv to visit the beach for the first time but is denied entry at the border and embarks on a dangerous journey to sneak into the country. Gazawi, 13, won the Ophir for best actor, while costar Khalifa Natour won best supporting actor. The awards are voted for by members of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television.