The mayor of Miami Beach is asking the city to end a lease agreement and withdraw financial support from an independent theater that is screening the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.”
Mayor Steven Meiner characterized the film as “a false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our City and residents” and has introduced legislation to terminate the O Theater’s lease for the city’s old City Hall building.
Despite winning the Oscar and numerous other awards, “No Other Land” has faced controversy for its depiction of Palestinian homes and villages in the West Bank destroyed by the Israeli military.
U.S. distributors declined to pick it up and it is being booked by distribution consultant Cinetic directly into venues such as the Miami Beach non-profit cinema.
City commissioners will vote on the proposal next week, according to the Miami Herald. The resolution put forth by the mayor reads “Whereas, the Mayor and City Commission desire to identify a new tenant/grantee to operate the movie theater located on the Premises that more accurately reflects the City’s values and/or interests in promoting a safe and inclusive environment for residents and visitors.”
O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell originally decided to cancel the screenings, writing to the mayor on March 6, “Due to the concerns of antisemitic rhetoric, we have decided to withdraw the film from our programming. This film has exposed a rift which makes us unable to do the thing we’ve always sought out to do which is to foster thoughtful conversations about cinematic works.”
But the cinema ultimately had a change of heart and screened the film last week, with additional screenings set for March 19 and 20.
In response to Meiner’s proposal, one city commissioner told the Miami Herald that although she agrees with the mayor’s assessment of the documentary, she doesn’t think the lease should be terminated, given the theater’s longstanding commitment to the Jewish community and the prospect of a legal battle. Another commissioner proposed that instead of canceling “No Other Land,” the theater could also screen a film representing differing viewpoints such as “Screams Before Silence,” about women attacked by Hamas.
Meiner and Marthell did not respond to requests for comment.
