By Conor Murray,Forbes Staff,Jesse Grant

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Shari Redstone, who until Paramount’s merger with Skydance served as the media company’s chairwoman, joined Israeli film studio Sipur as its chair, amid a Hollywood boycott of the Israeli film industry that has garnered thousands of signatories.

Shari Redstone was Paramount’s chair until its merger with Skydance. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Viacom)

Redstone made an investment into Sipur and will serve as the production company’s chair, where she will work with the company’s co-founders to expand its reach internationally, multiple outlets reported Tuesday morning.

Redstone told Variety her investment in Sipur is a “super opportunity” and praised the company for its “vision to be the first international production studio out of Israel.”

Sipur, which means “story” in Hebrew, was founded in 2019 by company CEO Emilio Schenker and Gideon Tadmor, and it has since backed projects including the Emmy-winning documentary “We Will Dance Again,” which chronicles the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Redstone previously told the New York Times she wanted to leave Paramount to devote more time to pro-Israel activism: “I wanted to support Israel, and address issues around antisemitism and racism,” Redstone said, adding she felt CBS News needed more “balance” in its coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Redstone’s move comes as a Hollywood boycott of the Israeli film industry grows, which Paramount condemned over the weekend.

Why Is Hollywood Boycotting Israel?

More than 4,500 Hollywood actors, directors and film industry workers have signed an open letter since its publication Sept. 8, pledging to “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions—including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies—that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The letter states it is answering the “call of Palestinian filmmakers” who have urged Hollywood to “end complicity in their oppression.” At the time of publication, the letter had about 1,000 signatures. Some of Hollywood’s biggest A-list actors have signed the letter, including Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, as well as directors including Adam McKay, Yorgos Lanthimos and Ava DuVernay. Paramount on Friday became the first major Hollywood studio to condemn the boycott. “Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” Paramount said in a statement. Variety reported on Monday some Israeli filmmakers have pushed back against the boycott, stating it would harm Israeli-produced films that are anti-war, citing multiple anti-war films that are shortlisted this year to be Israel’s entry to the Academy Awards. Filmmakers for Palestine, which created the open letter, criticized Paramount’s statement in a response, stating it hopes the company is not “intentionally misrepresenting the pledge in an attempt to silence our colleagues in the film industry,” stating the boycott does not target individuals based on identity but instead targets “Israeli film institutions and companies.”

Key Background

Redstone departed Paramount when the company’s merger with Skydance closed in August, ending the Redstone family’s decades-long controlling stake in the company. Her father, the late billionaire Sumner Redstone, acquired Paramount Pictures in 1994, and her grandfather, Michael Redstone, founded theater operator National Amusements, which was acquired by Skydance and absorbed into Paramount in the merger. Shari Redstone had served as Paramount’s chairwoman since 2019. The Paramount merger was overshadowed by politics, including a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed alleging CBS News deceptively edited an interview of his election opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, which was later settled. Redstone previously told the Times Trump’s lawsuit and scrutiny of CBS News could make the network more balanced: “Part of me thought, maybe Trump could accomplish what I never got done,” Redstone said.

Further Reading

Paramount Criticizes Celebrity-Endorsed Israeli Film Boycott (New York Times)

Israeli Boycott Pledge Adds Hundreds Of Signatories Including Emma Stone & Peter Sarsgaard, Israeli Producers Association Responds — Update (Deadline)

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