The Geneva-based queer cinema event Everybody’s Perfect announced the removal of Israel’s official Oscar submission, Tell Me Everything from its October programme. The decision came after the organisers received a series of threatening emails from a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups, including the local festival Palestine, Filmer C’est Exister university student collectives and BDS activists. Faced with the prospect of protests and a potential audience boycott, the programmers opted to cancel the two scheduled screenings slated for October 13 and 17, just days before the festival’s opening.
The move has ignited a wider conversation about the role of cultural institutions in geopolitical conflicts. While the festival describes itself as a platform for human rights and queer expression, its leadership said the cancellation was a preventative measure to protect the event’s
Boycott threats force festival to pull the film
On Thursday, the organisers received an email that threatened a full-scale boycott of the festival if the Israeli film remained on the schedule. The message, signed by several local activist groups, warned of protests that could disrupt screenings and jeopardise the safety of attendees. Charlotte Spector the festival’s communications lead, described the tone of the correspondence as relentless, quoting the phrase “boycott, boycott, just boycott” as a central demand. In response, the festival asked director Moshe Rosenthal and his production company to issue a public statement regarding their stance on the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.
Rosenthal and Green Productions complied, emphasizing that their work does not represent any government policy and that many Israeli artists openly criticize the war. Their clarification, however, did not sway the festival’s decision. Artistic director Sylvie Cachin later explained to a Swiss newspaper that the cancellation was unrelated to the film’s merit and was instead driven by a desire to “avoid controversy just days before the festival’s opening.”
Tell Me Everything: a story set in the 1980s AIDS crisis
Tell Me Everything follows twelve-year-old Boaz as he uncovers a painful family secret during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1987. The narrative intertwines a personal coming-of-age arc with the broader social stigma surrounding the disease, portraying the struggle for medical access and acceptance. After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, the film earned the top prize at Israel’s Ophir Awards, automatically becoming the country’s submission for the Best International Feature category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
The film’s historical setting and focus on the AIDS crisis have been highlighted by its creators as a universal human story, detached from contemporary Middle-East politics. Rosenthal has repeatedly described the project as an “artistic expression” aimed at fostering dialogue about love, identity and healing, rather than a vehicle for political messaging.
Industry and artistic responses to the cancellation
The removal of the Israeli entry has drawn criticism from a range of filmmakers, actors and cultural bodies who argue that artistic works should be judged on their own merits. Many Israeli creators, traditionally aligned with left-leaning viewpoints, have denounced cultural boycotts as counter-productive, pointing to other Israeli films that openly critique government policies, such as Naza and last year’s Oscar contender The Sea. Internationally, more than a thousand industry professionals have signed pledges to boycott Israeli film institutions, a campaign that includes high-profile names like Javier Bardem and Emma Stone.
Conversely, the activist coalition behind the boycott maintains that providing a platform for Israeli productions normalises the country’s actions amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. They argue that cultural venues play a significant role in shaping public perception and should therefore be held accountable. The episode at Everybody’s Perfect illustrates how cultural festivals are increasingly navigating the fraught intersection of artistic freedom and geopolitical activism.
