Javier Bardem wears a keffiyeh as he poses on the red carpet at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Javier Bardem used his appearance at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards to make a political statement, wearing a keffiyeh on the red carpet and voicing support for Film Workers for Palestine.
Speaking to Variety, the Oscar winner said: “Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza. I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study thoroughly genocide and has declared it is a genocide. That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine.”
Bardem added that his stance extends to his professional choices. “I cannot work with someone that justifies or supports the genocide. That’s as simple as that,” he said. “We shouldn’t be able to do that, in this industry or any other industry.”
His comments come days after 3,900 filmmakers, actors and industry professionals signed a pledge organized by Film Workers for Palestine, refusing to collaborate with Israeli institutions or companies deemed “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” Bardem is among the signatories, alongside Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Emma Stone and Tilda Swinton.
The pledge drew criticism from Paramount, which issued a statement rejecting calls for boycotts. The studio said: “We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace.”
Responding, Bardem stressed that the boycott targeted institutions, not individuals. “Film Workers for Palestine do not target any individuals based on identity,” he said. “The targets are those film companies and institutions that are complicit and are white-washing or justifying the genocide and its apartheid regime.”
Bardem attended the ceremony as a nominee for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, in which he plays José Menendez.
Published – September 15, 2025 07:45 am IST