Top Hollywood agent steps down from leadership roles after ‘hurtful’ Israel-Hamas post

Addie Morfoot Contributor Things got political on Wednesday at DOC NYC‘s 10th annual Visionaries Tribute Honorees, when honoree Michael Moore asked the crowd to take a pledge “to let our Jewish brothers and sisters know that we will never, ever allow what happened in the 20th century” to happen again. The Gotham Hall gala marks the opening day of the 14th annual DOC NYC and attracts the who’s who of the doc community from both coasts. Hundreds of documentary filmmakers, cinematographers, producers, editors, publicists, and distributors hobnob with Academy doc branch members in hopes of winning their votes.

Angelina Jolie’s father Jon Voight has accused his daughter of spreading “lies” on social media about the Israel-Hamas war.Last month (October 28), Jolie shared a post on Instagram condemning the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants, which killed around 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers.She said the attack, however, “cannot justify the innocent lives lost in bombing a civilian population in Gaza that has nowhere to go”, and called for an “immediate ceasefire”.In another post on November 2, Jolie accused Israel of “deliberately bombing” a “trapped population” who are being “deprived food, medicine and humanitarian aid against international law”.A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)“By refusing to demand a humanitarian ceasefire and blocking the UN Security Council from imposing one on both parties, world leaders are complicit in these crimes,” she added.In response, Jolie’s father posted a video on X (November 4) in front of the American flag, where he said he was “disappointed” in her daughter’s views on the conflict.“I’m very disappointed that my daughter, like so many, has no understanding of God’s honour,” Voight said. “God’s truths.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced the bulk of its lineup from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), signaling that the event is forging ahead with its third edition despite the Israel-Hamas war that has caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world. The fest’s third edition, set to run Nov.

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled it 2023 line-up and theme as it maintains its third edition against the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Gaza Conflict. (scroll down for full list)

Andy Burnham has denied being disloyal to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over his call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

UPDATED with rescheduled date: The Academy Museum Gala, which had been postponed last month in the wake of Hamas‘ attack on Israel, has been rescheduled for December 3.

J. Kim Murphy The Academy Museum has set a new date for its annual fundraising gala, after initially postponing the event out of respect for the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The event is now scheduled for the evening of Dec.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Break out the tobacco pipes and fedora hats: Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is returning to Imax screens for a one-week encore presentation. The blockbuster historical drama will be back on the big(gest) screen starting this Friday, including six Imax 70mm film locations: AMC CityWalk Stadium 19 in Hollywood, Calif.; AMC Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Calif.; AMC Lincoln Square in New York City; AMC Metreon 16 in San Francisco; BFI London in the United Kingdom; and Melbourne Museum in Australia. These premium screens were the first to sell out during the film’s initial box office run.

Editors note: Michael Seitzman is a veteran film and TV writer and showrunner. He created the series Code Black and Intelligence and penned the Charlize Theron-starring movie North Country. In a guest column titled “Because Jews,” he shares is impassioned take on the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and its reverberations around Hollywood.

K.J. Yossman Update: Kitty Laing is to step down as head of comedy at United Agents as well as her other leadership roles. The agency said in a statement: “Following the statements made earlier this week, it has been agreed that Kitty Laing will step away from her leadership roles as Head of Comedy and as a member of the Executive Committee of United Agents, effective immediately.

Michaela Zee Aaron Sorkin has dropped CAA over controversial social media posts regarding Israel from agent Maha Dakhil, Variety has confirmed. The “Social Network” and “West Wing” writer is returning to WME, which he had been previously repped by until his move to CAA in 2017. Dakhil, who represents A-list talent such as Tom Cruise and Natalie Portman, resigned from CAA’s internal board on Sunday following the controversial comments she made on Israel, as well as stepped away from her leadership duties as co-head of the agency’s motion pictures department.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer A dizzying amount of A-list Hollywood actors, comedians and entertainment executives signed an open letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, calling for the release of all hostages taken by terrorist group Hamas. Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake and more were among the highly visible figures to sign the note, launching a formal campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind.

Maha Dakhil, who was Co-Head of Motion Pictures at CAA, has stepped down from leadership and resigned from the agency’s internal board after her controversial comments on Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attacks.

Paddy Cosgrave, the CEO and cofounder of annual tech conference Web Summit, has resigned after his comments on the Israel-Hamas war led Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon to cancel their participation.

Madonna took a moment to address the current Israel-Hamas conflict while on stage at The O2, expressing her exasperation at how human beings are capable of “being so cruel to one another”.The artist urged the crowd to “remember we are human beings here” because “we cannot lose our humanity” and to make a difference by bringing “light into the world”.Madonna had addressed the conflict briefly in the early shows of her four-night run of ‘Celebration’ shows at the London arena, saying on the opening night that “watching what’s happening in Israel and Palestine” breaks her heart. On the third show on October 16, however, she expanded on her comments.“Nobody wants to see what’s happening,” she said.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor On X — the social network formerly called Twitter — about 74% of the most-viral posts promoting misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war in the first week of the conflict were shared by verified blue check-mark accounts, according to a new study. For the first seven days following Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israeli civilians (Oct.

Caroline Brew editor In a prime-time speech, President Joe Biden addressed the country for the first time since massive violence broke out between Israel and Hamas, explaining why it’s necessary to continue to support America’s partners in Israel and Ukraine. “That’s why tomorrow, I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs to support our critical partners including Israel and Ukraine. It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer A powerful agent to A-list celebrity clients like Tom Cruise and Madonna is under fire at her company, Creative Artists Agency, and in the larger Hollywood community over controversial Instagram posts regarding Israel. On Wednesday evening, CAA‘s star-whisperer Maha Dakhil reposted a statement from an account labeled Free Palestine, which weighed in on Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 terror attack executed by Islamic extremist group Hamas.

Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (DFI) has cancelled the 11th edition of its Ajyal Film Festival, which was due to take place from November 8 to 16, due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ellise Shafer Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival has now been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The festival was previously rescheduled to Oct. 27- Nov.