Mar 14 - #ISREALFIRST Miami Mayor to close theatre over pro Palestine movie

@ 06:43 PM 03-14-2025

Broseph Stalin

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92 K 5 months ago

'11

Miami Beach mayor moves to end O Cinema lease after screening of Israeli-Palestinian film https://t.co/VisLLtEhI0
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 13, 2025

This level of mass censorship on behalf of Israel is getting insane, beyond any other pattern of speech suppression we've seen in modern America. https://t.co/Rekh0g5Vnl
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) March 12, 2025

The Mayor of Miami Beach is trying to shut down a theatre for screening a film that won an Oscar award this year.

The First Amendment exists to prevent things like this. https://t.co/azWxKR6xKm
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) March 13, 2025

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- The mayor of Miami Beach, Florida, wants to terminate a lease and cut financial support for an independent film theater that screened an Oscar-winning documentary about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.

Mayor Steven Meiner introduced a resolution describing the film �No Other Land� as antisemitic. City commissioners will discuss the resolution Wednesday during their next meeting.

�No Other Land� opened last Friday at O Cinema, located at the Miami Beach Historic City Hall. Meiner had reached out several days before the premiere to discourage O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell from showing the film.

�The City of Miami Beach has one of the highest concentrations of jewish residents in the United States,� Meiner said in his letter to Marthell. �The �No Other Land� film is a one-sided propaganda attack on the jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our City and residents.�

Marthell initially agreed not to screen the movie in a response to Meiner, but the showing went on as scheduled.

�My initial reaction to Mayor Meiner�s threats was made under duress,� Marthell said in a email Thursday. �After reflecting on the broader implications for free speech and O Cinema�s mission, I (along with the O Cinema board and staff members) agreed it was critical to screen this acclaimed film.�

O Cinema has always been committed to sharing films that not only entertain, but also challenge, educate and inspire meaningful dialogue, Marthell said.

�We understand the power of cinema to tell stories that matter, and we recognize that some stories � especially those rooted in real-world conflicts � can evoke strong feelings and passionate reactions. As they should,� Marthell said. �Our decision to screen �No Other Land� is not a declaration of political alignment. It is a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard.�

In December and January, the city of Miami Beach executed two grants worth about $80,000 for O Cinema, according to the mayor's proposed resolution. About half the money has already been paid, but the resolution would stop the rest. The city began leasing space to O Cinema in 2019 with the ability to terminate the contract with 180 days of notice, which is what Meiner is seeking to do.

�No Other Land,� which was shot between 2019 and 2023 and released last year, was directed by a group of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor.

�When the mayor uses the word antisemitism to silence Palestinians and Israelis who proudly oppose occupation and apartheid together, fighting for justice and equality, he is emptying it out of meaning,� Abraham said in an email. �I find that to be very dangerous.�

The film documents the destruction of Palestinian villages in the West Bank by the Israeli military. It won the Academy Award for best documentary feature as well as earlier awards.

While the film has earned wide praise from film critics, it has also drawn controversy.

�Freedom of expression is an important value, but defamation of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not art,� Israeli culture minister Miki Zohar said in a social media post.

They not even trying to hide if anymore

23 comments best trash

Its

94 K 5 months ago

'17

Sieve meiner should be hanged.

-1

Jason Weaver

^x7

19 K 5 months ago

'22

South Florida is full of jews. And I like how they try to seem like they have no sway because of it

R Shackleford

30 K 5 months ago

'17

They are so desperate

WarviewVA

13 K 5 months ago

'08

fu#k Israel

+10

TheIronyIsThat

^x8

49 K 5 months ago

'21

Everyone supporting Israel is pretty much a fu#king n@zi and anti-American.

They keep talking about Russia and China though

Goosebumpz

^x193

63 K 5 months ago

'18

WarviewVA said

fu#k Israel

meant to slap

-1

Proveone

^x5

167 K 5 months ago

'16

I don't get how they can't see that this only makes things worse for them. This is America, the first amendment still exist.

Swisha2k11

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16 K 5 months ago

'21

Proveone said

I don't get how they can't see that this only makes things worse for them. This is America, the first amendment still exist.

Laws only exist to serve the interests of the capitalist /ruling class.

Proveone

^x5

167 K 5 months ago

'16

Swisha2k11 said

Laws only exist to serve the interests of the capitalist /ruling class.

Well said

Ham Rove

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66 K 5 months ago

'07

[see photo]

adak31

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44 K 5 months ago

'20

Where is this party of free speech when it comes to issues like this? For the past decade I’ve heard various far right leaning talking heads complain about their freedom of speech rights being stripped away and then when we are seeing real life examples of this they are quiet? I wonder why in this instance lol

ajsteele

3 K 5 months ago

'16

adak31 said

Where is this party of free speech when it comes to issues like this? For the past decade I�ve heard various far right leaning talking heads complain about their freedom of speech rights being stripped away and then when we are seeing real life examples of this they are quiet? I wonder why in this instance lol

All they meant was they couldn�t feel free to call people ******s and lynch black and brown people. That�s it.

Supercoolbert

14 K 5 months ago

'07

maga sticks their head in the sand over Israel but boy they had so much to say about Ukraine. they can’t criticize trump for being Israel first president so they ignore it lol they don’t know how to handle this

Chokeabiish

19 K 5 months ago

'04

Well it's government funded they can do what they want with the funds they give out. Not that I agree with it but what do u expect from a predominantly jewish community and a movie/documentary telling the truth about what those zionists are doing.

GREAT1NE

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39 K 5 months ago

'09

5 dancing Israelis… “we where there to document the events”

KillaNipZayKiss

10 K 5 months ago

'22

Chokeabiish said

Well it's government funded they can do what they want with the funds they give out. Not that I agree with it but what do u expect from a predominantly jewish community and a movie/documentary telling the truth about what those zionists are doing.

That movie definitely isn't telling the truth, it's literally the softest and blandest possible criticism you could have.

jews own America