Petition calls for Netflix to reinstate 19 Palestinian films

Over 30 organizations are “deeply concerned” about the removal of “at least 19 films by Palestinian filmmakers or about Palestinian stories” from Netflix’s platform, a new petition states. In a letter signed by groups like Freedom Forward, Arab American Action Network (AAAN), U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and more, the activists point out that, in 2021, Netflix launched a collection called “Palestinian Stories” meant to “showcase films from some of the Arab world’s finest filmmakers.” The collection initially included 32 films, but as of last week, only one was left on the Palestinian Stories page (a documentary called Ibrahim A Fate To Define). Some of the removed films, which were caught just before their departure with a “leaving soon” label in a tweet from Freedom Forward executive director Sunjeev Bery, include 3 Logical Exits, Habibi, Ave Maria, and A Man Returned.

“This erasure of Palestinian voices by Netflix follows many ugly decades of suppression of Palestinian viewpoints and narratives by Western news and entertainment media companies,” the letter states. It goes on to ask the streamer why the films were removed, what role (if any) external political pressures played in their decision, and why the company has remained silent despite pressure to speak up from the signatories and others on social media. “We urge you to move quickly to answer our questions and to reinstate these 19 films so that Netflix subscribers can once again access important content that is by Palestinian filmmakers or about Palestinians,” the letter concludes. 

In a statement shared with The A.V. Club, Netflix claims that the removal of the films was simply a matter of their licenses expiring. “We launched this licensed collection of films in 2021 for three years. Those licenses have now expired. As always we continue to invest in a wide variety of quality films and TV shows to meet our members’ needs, and celebrate voices from around the world,” a spokesperson wrote. The same process apparently occurred with shows like Mr. Robot and Friends. 

This is not the only petition of its type to crop up in recent months. In September, more than 700 high-profile members of SAG-AFTRA—including Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and more—signed an open letter calling on the guild to issue a statement demanding a permanent ceasefire, condemn the violence against journalists, healthcare workers, and innocent civilians, and protect its members from the industry’s “McCarthyist repression of members who acknowledge Palestinian suffering.” Other industries have also launched their own petitions over the past year, including visual artists, journalists, and more.