Hannah Einbinder with her Emmy, wearing an Artists4Ceasefire pin. (Source: Shutterstock)

Warta Kema – On Sunday (14/09/2025), the annual Emmy Awards was held at the Peacock Theater in Downtown LA. The awards were presented to recognize and celebrate the excellence in American television programming. Among the series nominated for the awards are The Penguin, The Studio, The Pitt, Hacks, and Severance. With many star-studded TVseries being nominated, the main takeaway from the event lies not in the runtime as a whole but rather in a few brave individuals voicing support for the current genocide in Gaza.

The nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, proudly wears a Palestinian keffiyeh in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle. On the red carpet, he spoke to interviewer Marc Malkin from Variety about his decision to denounce the atrocities in Gaza. He came in support of the International Association of Genocide Scholars who classified the situation in Gaza as a genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government and that they “ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide.”

Bardem claimed that he’s not alone in his support for Palestine. He then refers to the organization that he’s a part of, Film Workers for Palestine (FWP), which advocates for an end to Israel’s actions in Gaza. It is an organization of professionals in the international film industry that “targets film companies and institutions that are complicit and are related to whitewashing or justifying the genocide in Gaza.” He specifically mentioned and emphasized the word “film companies” and “justifying the genocide” as to not seem like the FWP targets individuals based on their identity.

The point that FWP only targets companies that supported the genocide is misunderstood completely by executives at Paramount, who thought boycotting films that show support for Israel’s ongoing genocide meant blind antisemitism. In a statement condemning the boycott, Paramount wrote, “We believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission. 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.” 

The statement was  issued in response to a letter signed by 3900 industry names who pledged not to work for companies implicated in the genocide. Actors who signed the letter include Bardem himself, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, Lily Gladstone, Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ayo Edebiri, and Olivia Colman. Bardem added that he “cannot work with somebody that justifies or supports the genocide (…) That’s as simple as that. And we shouldn’t be able to do that in this industry and in the other industry.”

Aside from Bardem, the headliner for the Palestinian solidarity act is found in the winner for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Hannah Einbinder. As the award presenters, Reba McEntire, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman gave Hannah her Emmy, audiences turned their gaze on the pin she wore on her chest. A small, red, round pin that depicts a hand with a black heart inside it. It was the symbol for Artists4Ceasefire, a collective made up of actors, filmmakers, and other artists that advocate for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

However, after showing the pin, Hannah’s advocacy doesn’t stop there. As she wrapped up her victory speech, she exclaimed, “Go birds, fuck ICE, and free Palestine!” Her bold statements wrapped up several feelings, one of which was disdain towards ICE, that referred to the agency’s unlawful detainment and deportation of many innocent, sovereign US citizens under Trump’s administration.

While having her name chiseled out on her trophy backstage alongside her Hacks co-star, Jean Smart, Hannah explained that she has friends in Gaza who are working as frontline workers to provide healthcare and education for the people there. Thus why she felt that this issue is really close to her heart. In addition to that, her being of Jewish identity made her feel obliged to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel because their “religion and culture is such an important and longstanding institution that is really separate to the ethnonationalist state.” She would then direct the interviewer’s, and subsequently the viewer’s, attention to the pledge she made with other artists affiliated with the FWP that boycotts everything Israel-related. Reiterating the point in which the boycott is only intended for institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide and not the individuals.

In voicing their support for the ongoing genocide, artists such as Javier Bardem and Hannah Einbinder risk the chance of their future prospects as studio executives, and the current American political climate as a whole, tend to cater more to the Israeli government in the way of Palestinian rights. However, as Bardem said in an interview, “A lot of people are giving me their support in whispers, and I go, ‘don’t whisper, say it out loud!’”

Reporter: Maheswara Adla Wibowo
Editor: Syafina Ristia Putri, Andrea Hillary Gusandi