Tensions are rising within David Ellison’s Paramount company over the Israeli position

About 200 people gathered on Melrose Avenue at Paramount for a screening of “Red Alert,” a four-part drama depicting Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7 from the perspective of six victims.

The host of the Sept. 30 event was Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison, who shared how he spoke with Oscar-nominated producer Lawrence Bender a few weeks ago at a memorial service for legendary Hollywood power broker Skip Brittenham. Here Ellison learned that the “Red Alert” series, supported by Israel, needed a home in the United States.

Ellison quickly volunteered. “It was a quick ‘yes’,” he told the group.

On Tuesday, “Red Alert” debuted on the company’s streaming service, Paramount+, to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel. Hamas’s initial attack killed about 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250 others.

This landmark project comes two months after Ellison assumed control of Paramount in an $8 billion purchase by his family, led by billionaire and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and private equity firm Red Bird Capital Partners.

Since completing the deal on August 7, David Ellison has moved to position the company slightly to the right of political center, while also addressing polarizing issues. Al-Salil was not afraid to challenge those in Hollywood who called for a boycott of Israel.

More than two years after the October 7 attack, there remains a deep division in Hollywood over the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas.

Last month, Paramount condemned an open letter in support of Palestinians, which has gained traction in Hollywood. More than 5,000 people have signed the Film Workers for Palestine letter, including prominent filmmakers such as Adam McKay, Ava DuVernay, Alex Gibney, and Hannah Einbender.

This effort called for a boycott of Israeli film festivals, institutions and projects to help end the war in Gaza. The campaign was modeled on the boycotts that took place in South Africa decades ago, which proved effective in ending apartheid, that is, racial segregation, in that country.

No other major studio followed Paramount.

In its September 12 statement, Paramount said it did not agree with the call for film industry professionals to avoid showing films or working with Israeli film institutions.

“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, foster mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share,” the company said. “Silencing creative artists based on their nationality does not encourage better understanding or advance the cause of peace.”

The film workers group accused Paramount of distorting the intent of its pledge, saying it did not target individual filmmakers.

But critics say filmmakers who engage with Israeli cultural institutions are more likely to fall under the ban.

More than 1,200 industry players, including actors Mayim Bialik and Liev Schreiber and Paramount board member Sherry Lansing, signed an open letter in opposition issued by the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace that accuses Film Workers for Palestine of calling for “the arbitrary censorship and erasure of art.”

Palestinian supporters rejected this characterization. “The Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity is an explicitly anti-racist, non-violent campaign grounded in international law and the moral clarity of the global majority that opposes genocide,” the group said in a statement this week. “It is the first major rejection of the international film industry in general that targets complicit Israeli film institutions and companies.”

“Red Alert” was co-produced by prominent Israeli production company, Keshet Media Group, and received funding from the Jewish National Fund USA and the Israel Entertainment Fund. The series premiered last weekend on popular Israeli TV channel Keshet 12. Keshet produced the Hebrew-language series “Prisoners of War” which Showtime later adapted into the award-winning American drama “Homeland.”

During a screening of the film in late September at Paramount, Ellison spoke about the need for projects like “Red Alert” to remember atrocities as well as stories of survival and heroism.

“At Paramount, we’re here to tell stories that last forever,” Ellison said. “We’re not here to discuss politics or agendas or argue about East or West. ‘Red Alert’ is the embodiment of that mission, and I couldn’t be prouder to support this series.”

Critics point out that Ellison’s father, Oracle co-founder Larry, is a prominent supporter of Israel. Contribute millions to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

Others in Hollywood criticized the Israeli government and its behavior in the Gaza war, which claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians or combatants.

The United Nations, human rights groups, experts and many Western governments accuse Israel of committing genocide. Israel denies this charge.

During May 2024 Simon Wiesenthal Center At an event in his honor, WME Group CEO Ari Emanuel strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for his ouster. Emmanuel’s statements were met with criticism Cheers and jeers Some of the attendees left.

In his Oscar acceptance speech last year, Jonathan Glazer, director of the Holocaust drama “Area of ​​Concern,” asked, “Whether it is the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, they are all victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”

Weeks later, Steven Spielberg noted the rise of anti-Semitism as well as the ongoing war.

“We can outrage against the heinous acts committed by terrorists on October 7, and we can also denounce the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza,” Spielberg said during a ceremony held to celebrate USC’s anniversary. Shawah Foundation.

Paramount’s opposition to the Movie Workers Pledge and other recent moves, including buying the Free Press news site for $150 million and naming its founder, journalist Barry Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News, have drawn the ire of a small group of Paramount employees.

David Ellison recruited Weiss, who has been vocal about her support of Israel, for the prominent role.

The split has roiled Paramount’s efforts to settle President Trump’s lawsuit over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview a year ago with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. This summer, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to end Trump’s lawsuit, which First Amendment experts viewed as bogus extortion.

Weeks later, Trump’s appointees to the Federal Communications Commission approved the Ellison family’s takeover of Paramount.

The employee group, which calls itself Paramount Employees with Conscience, said they sent two letters to Paramount leaders last month expressing their concerns but did not receive a response. In a statement, the group noted that while Paramount+ was distributing “Red Alert,” the company did not provide “equivalent programming about Palestinian experiences with the Gaza genocide.”

“How can a company with such a supposedly creative mission ignore, suppress and silence internal calls for years to champion stories that shed light on the reality that marginalized and excluded communities, especially Palestinians, face every day?” the group asked in a Sept. 17 letter to Paramount leadership.

Paramount declined to comment.

The group includes about 30 employees, according to one member who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Paramount employees are separately preparing for a severe round of layoffs, which are expected next month. Ellison’s Skydance Media and RedBird promised Wall Street they would find more than $2 billion in cost cuts at Paramount.

“We know that the Ellison family is enormous and powerful and has a lot of resources,” the Paramount employee said. “But we are here to break the culture of silence… Silence within the industry becomes complicity.”