‘Wonder Woman' star Gal Gadot draws applause — and anger — as Gaza war shadows Jerusalem Film Fest
Pro-Palestinian activists have attacked Gadot on social media for voicing support for the Israeli military, which has been accused of atrocities during its campaign in Gaza to crush the militant group Hamas and free Israeli hostages.
She has also been criticised by right-wing media in Israel for urging an end to the war, which the government has vowed to continue until it destroys Hamas, despite international calls for a ceasefire.
Israel's 12-day war with Iran last month had meanwhile threatened to derail the 42nd edition of the festival.
It got under way yesterday evening in an auditorium near Jerusalem's Old City, with Gadot — also a star of Fast and Furious — receiving a special award, to applause from thousands of spectators.
The 40-year-old star, who was born near Tel Aviv, said in her acceptance speech that she was 'praying for this (Gaza) war to end and for everyone here to finally have calm and security'.
'That will not be possible until the hostages come home.'
The Israeli military regularly denies intentionally targeting civilians in Gaza.
The event's director Roni Mahadav-Levin told AFP meanwhile that during the June 12-24 war with Iran, organisers 'spent two weeks in bomb shelters, trying to decide if we could keep the date of the festival' with flights cancelled and guests hesitating to come.
One festival-goer, film student Ayal Sgerski, 29, said that the event was taking place under a 'cloud' of conflict, with few international directors attending.
'It is very difficult for the festival to draw films from around the world at the moment' due to opposition to the Gaza war, he complained.
Mahadav-Levin said that organisers could not 'expect to receive the same number of international guests as in a normal year'.
The event opened with a screening of Sentimental Value by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, who won an award at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The Jerusalem festival runs until July 26. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘Wonder Woman' star Gal Gadot draws applause — and anger — as Gaza war shadows Jerusalem Film Fest
JERUSALEM, July 18 — Organisers pushed ahead with the Jerusalem film festival yesterday despite regional conflicts, with a special appearance by Israeli Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, who has been criticised for comments on the Gaza war. Pro-Palestinian activists have attacked Gadot on social media for voicing support for the Israeli military, which has been accused of atrocities during its campaign in Gaza to crush the militant group Hamas and free Israeli hostages. She has also been criticised by right-wing media in Israel for urging an end to the war, which the government has vowed to continue until it destroys Hamas, despite international calls for a ceasefire. Israel's 12-day war with Iran last month had meanwhile threatened to derail the 42nd edition of the festival. It got under way yesterday evening in an auditorium near Jerusalem's Old City, with Gadot — also a star of Fast and Furious — receiving a special award, to applause from thousands of spectators. The 40-year-old star, who was born near Tel Aviv, said in her acceptance speech that she was 'praying for this (Gaza) war to end and for everyone here to finally have calm and security'. 'That will not be possible until the hostages come home.' The Israeli military regularly denies intentionally targeting civilians in Gaza. The event's director Roni Mahadav-Levin told AFP meanwhile that during the June 12-24 war with Iran, organisers 'spent two weeks in bomb shelters, trying to decide if we could keep the date of the festival' with flights cancelled and guests hesitating to come. One festival-goer, film student Ayal Sgerski, 29, said that the event was taking place under a 'cloud' of conflict, with few international directors attending. 'It is very difficult for the festival to draw films from around the world at the moment' due to opposition to the Gaza war, he complained. Mahadav-Levin said that organisers could not 'expect to receive the same number of international guests as in a normal year'. The event opened with a screening of Sentimental Value by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, who won an award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The Jerusalem festival runs until July 26. — AFP
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Superman soars, DC reboots
THERE has not been a film that DC Studios and Warner Bros Pictures desperately need to succeed more than James Gunn's Superman. It has to fly faster than a bullet, hit harder than a train and more importantly, be more human than its colder predecessors. Despite the relatively low bar thanks to the previous decade of middling DC Comics films, Superman surpasses expectations. Hovering right across the pitfall of subjecting the audience to another origin story, Gunn's film drops viewers into the third year of Clark Kent (David Corenswet) already donning the red underwear and blue suit. In a world full of metahumans, Superman is firmly established as being the strongest among his costumed super-peers, which draws questions from pundits, politicians and defense agencies on the alien immigrant's beliefs, politics and agenda on earth. After stopping the invasion of the fictional country of Jarhanpur by the more powerful Boravia, an ally to the US, Superman finds himself in the crosshairs of not only the US, but also Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). This geopolitical intervention by Superman serves as the catalyst for the events in the film. Humanity in focus amid cosmic chaos The very on-the-nose Israel-Palestine parallels with Boravia-Jarhanpur aside, Superman has a strong story, at least in terms of comic book films that serve the role as a jumping-off point role in a potential 'cinematic universe', but it does come at a cost. By dropping the audience into an already developed world with existing superheroes, supervillains, aliens, pocket dimensions, nanotechnology and cloning, this can be exhausting for those more accustomed to standard superhero origin films, because from the opening sequence, Superman 's pacing is all gas, no brakes at Mach 10 speed. Having said that, everything the film introduces at breakneck speed is entertaining, particularly due to the focus Gunn puts on the individual in the centre of Superman, which is Kent and his humanity. Bright, colourful, sometimes goofy, most times charming, Gunn's writing, aided by a solid performance by Corenswet, nails what makes Superman who he is: a boy scout raised in rural America that sees only the good in everyone and will not hesitate to save them. From sequences such as the interview Superman has with Lois over his interference in the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict being due to simply how 'people were going to die', to how Superman repeatedly goes out of his way to rescue and protect innocent bystanders, Superman proudly wears Clark's heart and love for humankind on its sleeves. Hoult's Lex Luthor is another standout in the film, being the most comic-accurate version of the character ever put to live action film. Long past the quirkiness and silly wigs worn by Gene Hackman and Jesse Eisenberg in their iterations of the character, this screen incarnation of Luthor is an actual menace and danger, not just to Superman, but the entire world. An extremely smart technocrat, calculative deceitful, viciously petty and narcissistic, Hoult brings his A-game to carry out Gunn's script to perfection. The same extends to Lois, who spends the entire film being a journalist rather than Superman's girlfriend, along with the other supporting characters, such as the Justice Gang's Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and even Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). Second shot at legacy Criticising the now-dead DC Extended Universe and the mostly maligned films under that umbrella is a low-hanging fruit at this point, but it has to be done, as Gunn's Superman is Warner Bros's second, latest attempt to kickstart their own cinematic universe, similar to what Zack Snyder did in 2013 with Man of Steel. Developed by the new DC Studios – led by Gunn and Peter Safran – Superman comes across as a more natural superhero film, with a plan already in place for the new DC Universe (DCU), a goal in mind and what would come next. However, chronologically, the DCU started with Creature Commandos last year, but that was an animated series and as great as it was, it did not firmly establish what Superman does in terms of world-building or in introducing the bigger universe that Gunn and Safran are bringing to the table. Based on the certain appearance of another popular character in the Superman family towards the end of the film, there is certainly expectation on how the next films in the DCU will carry not only the momentum, but also the hope of something better that has been started by Superman.
Hype Malaysia
4 days ago
- Hype Malaysia
Movie Tea: Julia Garner Speaks Up About Silver Surfer Controversy; 'King Of The Hill' Revival To Stream On Hulu
Get your popcorn ready, because we've got the latest news on some of Hollywood's biggest upcoming projects. From the revival of a beloved animated sitcom, to a decorated actor handling controversies with grace, here's what you need to know about two highly-awaited projects due to hit the big and small screens later this year. Julia Garner Addresses Controversy Surrounding Her Depiction Of Silver Surfer It goes without saying that July is easily one of the most anticipated months of the year when it comes to movies. As summer time kicks in in some portions of the world, studios are pulling out all the stops to get crowds in theatre halls, and 2025 is no exception. Earlier in the month alone, we saw the jaw-dropping reimagining of James Gunn's 'Superman'. Naturally, people are eager to see how Marvel's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' will fare in response to the growing opposition. Unfortunately, in this polarising world, people conjure all sorts of nitpicks to bash these incredible titles. One such example is the recent 'Superman' film where conservatives found it too woke, citing pro-immigration and pro-Hamas themes, among other things. Sadly, 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' has also come under fire weeks before its anticipated release because of Julia Garner's depiction of the Silver Surfer. Having had enough of it, the Herald of Galactus has stepped forward and started addressing the controversy directed at her. In an interview with BBC, Garner was asked about the recent reaction to 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'. At first they were positive, but as they progressed to more critical ones, Garner only said, 'The first one, I was like, I'm just still going to do my job, and also it's Shalla-Bal, so it's different. And then the second one you know, I was just happy that people are resonating with it just like any other project. So I'm just grateful to be at this dance, to be completely honest with you.' Though 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' has been accused of gender-bending the iconic Zenn-Lavian, people forget that the MCU is creating its own canon away from the comics — and that a female Silver Surfer called Shalla-Bal already existed before in the comics. In our previous article covering Garner's debut as the chrome alien, the character can be traced all the way back to 1968, proving that her story has long been intertwined with that of the Fantastic Four and rendering all baseless hateful accusations irrelevant. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that this version of Marvel's first family of superheroes will take place in an alternate universe. So, if people are still pissed about seeing Bal rather than Norrin Radd, Bal's husband and the original Silver Surfer, they might just get their wish just to appease them. It is unfortunate that Garner has been the target of controversy simply because of her gender but it is nice to not only see her push back but also do so with such positivity! Though her role may only be limited to an alternate universe, we do hope that we get to see her duke it out in the main timeline as well in some capacity. 'King Of The Hill' Returns With Season 14 After 15 long years, the hit animated sitcom 'King of the Hill' is back! And to kick off its revival, the creator has dropped a brand new trailer to coincide with the announcement. Set years after the star of the show, Hank Hill (played by Mike Judge), moved to Saudi Arabia to secure his and Peggy's (played by Kathy Najimy) retirement, the new season sees the return of the duo to Arlen to breathe in something familiar. Unfortunately for the couple, but more specifically Hank, things have changed in their absence, and they are now taking steps to get themselves reacquainted with the world around them. Add on to the fact that our favourite patriarch is now a senior citizen; things are about to get rough for him. Naturally, some things never change, as Frank's old mates, such as Boomhauer (Mike Judge), Bill (Stephen Root), and Dale (Toby Huss, taking over after the late Johnny Hardwick's passing), are still in town! And much like Frank, they too feel out of place, kicking off a season of misadventures where they navigate this familiar yet strange place they call home. Pair this alongside Frank's son, Bobby (Pamela Adlon), who has adjusted well in Dallas; we're about to see some old folks trying their best to still stay hip and fashionable with the younger generation. As it will touch on a lot of modern subject matter that we see in social media or in person, whether they be serious or otherwise, that might lead to the series receiving the revitalised love it deserves – or be the reason for its ultimate end. We must keep in mind that the world has changed more than ever since the show's cancellation; it is up to the show's creators to decide whether to address this with the same rigour and ferocity as in previous seasons or to play it safe and avoid it as much as possible. Regardless of its choice, we just hope it does so with the wholesome heart that we all know and love. We'll only find out when the series drops on 4th August on Hulu. Source: The Verge, Screen Rant
