The Brief

More than 2,000 Hollywood figures, including well-known actors and filmmakers, have pledged to boycott the growing Israeli movie industry in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The open letter was published online Tuesday in five languages by Filmmakers for Palestine — which describes itself as "a call by and for filmmakers and cinema workers to stand for an end to genocide, and for a free Palestine." The letter was signed by stars including Emma Stone, Gael García Bernal, Alyssa Milano, Olivia Colman, Brian Cox, and Ilana Glazer, among many others. Filmmakers who have signed include Ava DuVernay, Adam McKay, and Yorgos Lanthimos.
The signatories are pledging to avoid working with Israeli film institutions that are "implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."
"Despite operating in Israel's system of apartheid, and therefore benefiting from it, the vast majority of Israeli film production & distribution companies, sales agents, cinemas and other film institutions have never endorsed the full, internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people," the website's FAQ page states.

Titled "Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity," the letter defines such complicity as "whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid and/or partnering with the government committing them." The FAQ page states that signatories still may work with Israeli individuals.

"The call is for film workers to refuse to work with Israeli institutions that are complicit in Israel's human rights abuses against the Palestinian people," the letter said. "This refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity."
The Israeli government has strongly denied accusations that it is guilty of genocide in Gaza. Israel says its war effort is in self-defense and targets Hamas, not Palestinian civilians. Israel accuses the militant group of using civilians as human shields and says, therefore, Hamas is responsible for the civilian casualties in Gaza.

Inspired by 1980s filmmakers

The letter was modeled after a campaign in the 1980s signed by Hollywood filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Susan Seidelman, and Martin Scorsese, who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa.

The group sent a letter to President Ronald Reagan in 1987, urging him to support the boycott, the L.A. Times reported. Along with the letter was a joint statement from Demme and Scorsese, saying in part: "It has become clear that boycott and divestment ... are the last possible peaceful methods available to achieve the ultimate goal of social change in South Africa, short of the looming and inevitable violent civil war that presently threatens that country."

The Israeli film industry has been growing steadily over the past few years, according to a May 2025 report. The industry is expected to reach about $80 million in revenue by the end of the year. That still is considerably less than Hollywood, which will generate about $9.6 billion in revenue this year. Within Israel, people in the film industry worry that without other countries buying their film and TV productions, the industry will falter. 
The Filmmakers for Palestine boycott joins a long line of efforts to boycott businesses with ties to Israel. The "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" (BDS) movement was launched by a collective of Palestinian unions, refugee and women's groups, professional associations, and others in 2005. Efforts have included calls for boycotts of multinational corporations such as McDonald's, Chevron and Disney.
Israeli movie industry groups are pushing back against the new Filmmakers for Palestine pledge.
In a statement to NPR, the Friends of the Israeli Film and TV Producers Association, a nonprofit that supports the Israeli film and TV industry, called Filmmakers for Palestine's boycott "profoundly misguided."
"Signatories of this petition are targeting the wrong people," said the group's statement. "By targeting us — the creators who give voice to diverse narratives and foster dialogue — these signatories are undermining their own cause and attempting to silence us. We call on the international community to recognize our commitment to dialogue, peace, and giving voice to all sides of this conflict. Our stories are tools for understanding and healing, and we will continue using them to help bring an end to violence."

Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.

Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Businesses impacted by the Lineage warehouse fire have access to recovery resources.

Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective have launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, which will provide financial assistance to brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors directly affected by the fire.

Resources may also be available through the city’s BusinessSource Center, which offers grants, business advising, financial counseling and other services.

Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses

The program aims to award grants to 500 affected small businesses and vendors in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles near the Lineage facility.

Who qualifies?

• Brick-and-mortar businesses
• Street vendors
• Home-based businesses

Grant amounts:

• Street vendors: Up to $1,000
• Brick-and-mortar businesses: Up to $3,000

Eligible ZIP codes:

• 90022
• 90023
• 90033
• 90063

Application requirements:

• Business website and email address (organizations will assist applicants who do not have these).
• Proof of address, utility bill and lease agreement (if applicable).
• Street vendors can upload photos of their business if they do not have traditional business documentation.
• Number of employees.
• Applicants will be asked how they plan to use the grant funds.

For additional information, visit the frequently asked questions page.

Apply by July 13 at inclusiveaction.jotform.com/261790764235059

Small Business Recovery Services

Through the city’s established BusinessSource Center, NEW Economics for Women, impacted businesses will have access to recovery resources to help stabilize operations and retain jobs, including:

• Small business recovery grants of up to $1,000 for eligible businesses directly impacted by the fire
• Industrial air purifiers for severely impacted businesses
• One-on-one business advising
• Assistance applying for disaster relief programs
• Access to capital and micro-loan opportunities
• Business continuity and recovery planning
• Commercial lease and financial counseling
• Marketing and customer recovery strategies
• Technical assistance with permitting and regulatory requirements
• Referrals to additional local, state, and federal business assistance programs

More recovery assistance

Visit the city’s Boyle Heights Recovery Updates website for more resources available to displaced workers and other employment services.

For Saizana Evans, manager of the Nile restaurant and bar in Inglewood, proximity to SoFi stadium has been a blessing over the years.

“The A$AP Rocky [concert] recently was good [for business] … Shakira was over here recently, that was great,” he said.

But when asked how those events compared to the influx of customers before and after recent World Cup matches, he was quick to respond.

“Definitely World Cup … definitely better,” he said.

One night particularly memorable so far, he said, was when Bosnia fans showed up for their team’s match against Switzerland.

“They were loud, and it was a joy to watch and to see them, like how they were supporting their team,” he said.

And, he added, “they are drinkers as well.”

While L.A. may not have run out of beer, as Boston reportedly did when Scottish fans visited, the region has been boosted by those who prefer to watch the games on a big screen with a beer in their hands.

“The excitement is palpable, not only in Inglewood, but throughout, and I think where you see it show up the most is in our bars and our restaurants,” said Maria Salinas, president and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.

Crunching the numbers

As SoFi Stadium hosts the last of eight FIFA 2026 World Cup matches on Friday, and the tournament ends in less than two weeks, Southern California businesses will be looking at lessons learned.

“We expect to see an increase in spending when it comes to food and beverage,” said  Stephen Cheung, president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

He said his group plans to do a study of the economic effects of the World Cup on Southern California. To do that, his group plans to buy data from phone carriers, credit card companiesand others — without personal information — to see activity in and around bars and restaurants and other locations during matches.

“We should be tracking hotel data, and Airbnb data, so we can see whether there's an increase during the World Cup,” as well, he said.

The goal is to give public and private groups information about what kind of business activities are the most popular during the tournament.

“We want to make sure that we have competitive industries that can bring good investments and good jobs here locally,” Cheung said.

And that’s something businesses will be looking to do as the 2028 L.A. Olympics approaches.

Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing. 

“We closed for two days, our workers were asking what to do, and we didn’t know,” said Francisco Valderrama, co-owner of Picaresca Barra de Cafe. “The lack of communication was the most insulting.”

During a roundtable discussion with about two dozen Boyle Heights business owners and street vendors inside Picaresca Tío Pepe on July 2, Bass and District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado acknowledged communication failures in the city’s response to the weeklong warehouse fire and pledged to improve communication while exploring ways to help businesses recover. Boyle Heights Beat was the only media outlet invited to attend the meeting.

“I think it took us too long to get out there, and that’s something that we want to rectify now,” Bass told attendees. “We should have gone out door-to-door on day one.”

Jurado also acknowledged the challenges of responding to an emergency of the fire’s scale. 

“I’m still freshman over there [at City Hall] and figuring out how to deal with an emergency of this caliber,” she said. 

Businesses say communication fell short

Business owners criticized the city’s response, saying it was too slow and relied too heavily on social media to reach the people most affected.

Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.

“Maybe a post on Instagram worked for a younger crowd, but for this community it doesn’t,” Valderrama said. 

Bass agreed the city should have done more. 

“You’re right, we could have done better communication on the grassroots level, that took a while before we did that,” Bass said.

Business owners offer solutions

Several businesses suggested the city should work directly with neighborhood businesses during emergencies.

“Why not come to us?” asked Judy Diaz, owner of El 7 Mares, a Mexican seafood restaurant with locations in Boyle Heights and East L.A. Diaz said businesses could help disseminate information to their customers and the surrounding community during a crisis. 

Jeanette Flores, owner of Super Pollos Rostizados, agreed, adding, “There’s only so many people that work for you, but you know, we would willingly do it.” 

Flores suggested that the city create a hub for business owners to get live updates on issues that may affect their regular operations. 

Bass appreciated their offer and said she would consider relying on local businesses to reach more people. “It’s not that I didn’t come; I wouldn’t have known to come, honestly,” Bass said.

Ana Perez, a local business owner who helps operate Café Café Mobile Coffee and Macheen out of Milpa Grille, said businesses are still struggling with slow foot traffic, higher utility bills from running multiple air purifiers and limited parking due to construction along the Cesar Chavez Avenue corridor.

Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.

(

Issac Ceja

/

for Boyle Heights Beat

)

She urged the city to provide a credit to cover the cost of businesses’ energy bills and suspend parking enforcement to help them recover. 

In response, Bass pledged to speak to the general manager of the Department of Water and Power (DWP) to discuss what can be done about utility bills and call the Department of Transportation to “suspend parking enforcement.” She said the boundaries would be determined at a later date. 

“We cannot leave this community with the damn DWP bills, which are high,” Bass said. “We have to figure out what we’re going to do around that. I don’t have an answer for you today, but I guarantee you I will get an answer.”

Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that she will be working with the city’s Community Investment Department to explore waivers or subsidies to give affected businesses some financial relief.

The Beat has reached out to Bass’ office for more details on her commitments and will update this story when they become available. 

Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.

(

Issac Ceja

/

for Boyle Heights Beat

)

Another setback for local businesses 

For many business owners, the fire is the latest in a series of economic setbacks.

“For you in particular, small businesses, we know that it’s kind of like y’all can’t catch a break,” said Jurado. “You barely recovered from COVID. I mean, since the time I was in office last summer, it was the [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids and this summer, in this neighborhood, it was the fire.” 

Jurado and Bass said the city will continue meeting with businesses as recovery efforts move forward and pledged to hold Lineage and the companies responsible for the impacts of the fire.

The post Bass admits communication failures after Lineage fire, promises help for businesses appeared first on LA Local.

Mariska Hargitay is set to host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC on Sept. 14.

NBCUniversal announced Hargitay as host on Tuesday, the day before nominations are announced. The show will also stream on Peacock and will be held, fittingly, at the Peacock Theater, the longtime Emmys home that will also soon be home to the Oscars.

Hargitay, 62, has long been one of NBC’s signature personalities as the star since 1999 of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” one of the longest-running dramas in TV history. She’s been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, winning for lead actress in a drama series in 2006. “SVU” as it’s commonly known, is set to surpass 600 episodes as its 28th season airs this fall. Hargitay has used the platform to become an advocate for sexual assault victims.

She may be a nominee again this year as the director and producer of My Mom Jayne, a documentary on her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was also a TV constant earlier this year as she sat in the front row for the championship run of her beloved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The role of airing the Emmys rotates between the four broadcast networks even as their nominations become more rare in the streaming era. Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to get the hosting job, held last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS.

NBC is unlikely to see too many nominations in key categories on Wednesday, though all-time Emmy leader “Saturday Night Live” always gets its share.“Pluribus” from Apple TV+ and HBO Max’s “The Pitt” starring former longtime NBC star Noah Wyle are expected to be among the leading nominees when they’re announced by recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.