That same day, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner sent a letter to O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell asking her to cancel the screenings, calling the film "a one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people." Meiner cited some of the film's critics, including Claudia Roth, Germany's federal government commissioner for culture and the media, who called the film "shockingly one-sided and characterized by deep hatred of Israel," as well as Israel's culture minister Miki Zohar, who criticized the film's Oscar win, saying "the film distorts Israel's image to international audiences."
Meiner's letter closed by mentioning the venue is "a movie theater facility owned by the City and operated by O Cinema." The indie theater is indeed located inside the old Miami Beach City Hall, a building the city still owns.
Martell responded to Meiner's letter the next day. She initially acquiesced but reversed course after conferring with the independent theater's board. O Cinema also added additional showings to meet public demand. The move was notable because O Cinema is one of just a few theaters that have screened No Other Land in the United States. The film has had a notoriously difficult time securing a U.S. distributor — in February, the New York Times reported just 23 theaters had screened the film in the U.S.
In response to Marthell's reversal on withdrawing the screenings and O Cinema's choice to add additional screenings, Meiner proposed that the city terminate the theater's lease. The city commission will discuss the matter at its next meeting on Wednesday, March 19.
International Reaction
In the ensuing days, the mayor's dispute with O Cinema has gone global, with news organizations including the Guardian, the Washington Post, and the New York Times covering the story alongside entertainment outfits such as Deadline and Variety.Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who co-directed No Other Land, also weighed in from his home in Jerusalem. "When this mayor uses the word antisemitism to silence us, Palestinians and Israelis who proudly oppose occupation and apartheid together, fighting for justice and equality for all, he is dangerously emptying it out of meaning," Abraham asserted on the platform formerly known as Twitter, adding, "Banning a film only makes people more determined to see it."
Other national figures also weighed in. Former MSNBC host Medhi Hasan blasted Meiner's "act of brazen censorship against a U.S. cinema" and his "weaponizing of antisemitism against occupied Palestinians." Hasan also noted the documentary was made by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers.When this mayor uses the word antisemitism to silence us, Palestinians and Israelis who proudly oppose occupation and apartheid together, fighting for justice and equality for all, he is dangerously emptying it out of meaning. Once you witness Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Masafer… pic.twitter.com/B50Mb6ymeO
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) March 13, 2025
Civil-rights groups and legal experts were quick to weigh in, as well.Shame on Mayor @StevenMeiner for this act of brazen censorship against a US cinema - and also weaponizing of antisemitism against occupied Palestinians. (‘No Other Land’ incidentally is a joint Palestinian-Israeli production.) https://t.co/oQ2w5xDsP8
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) March 13, 2025
PEN America called Meiner's efforts "blatantly unconstitutional." In a statement, the nonprofit group's Florida director, Katie Blankenship, said, "Politicians do not get to tell theaters what movies they can show just because they disagree with a film’s message. Cultural spaces must be free to make their own choices of what to present to audiences, without political interference. Threatening the lease of O Cinema will not only impact this film; it will deny audiences in South Florida the opportunity to access a range of films and programs on diverse subjects."
Adam Steinbaugh, a First Amendment lawyer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), commented, "Screening movies to make sure they conform to local censors' tastes is a practice we left behind with the Red Scare. If the First Amendment doesn't mean that a movie theater can show an Oscar-winning film, something is seriously wrong."PEN America said today it is “blatantly unconstitutional” for Miami Beach Mayor Meiner to propose @OCINEMA's lease be terminated over the screening of No Other Land, a documentary about the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, to which Meiner objects https://t.co/GIdYMCjNPZ
— PEN America (@PENamerica) March 14, 2025
Added the ACLU of Florida: "Pulling funding from an independent, community-based cinema under these circumstances is patently unconstitutional. The government does not get to pick and choose which viewpoints the public is allowed to hear, however controversial some might find them."Mayor of Miami beach seeks to evict a movie theatre because it screened a documentary -- "No Other Land," which just won Best Documentary at the Oscars -- he says is "disseminating antisemitism." pic.twitter.com/05Im1Qmlqu
— Adam Steinbaugh (@adamsteinbaugh) March 13, 2025
In a joint letter addressed to the Miami Beach City Commission and sent to local news organizations including New Times, the Florida Muslim Bar Association (FMBA), the Palestinian American Bar Association (PABA), and the American Muslim Bar Association (AMBA) expressed their "profound concern regarding the City of Miami Beach’s extraordinary attempts to censor the screening of [No Other Land]." The statement continues, "This is un-American. It is also unacceptable."Pulling funding from an independent, community-based cinema under these circumstances is patently unconstitutional. The government does not get to pick and choose which viewpoints the public is allowed to hear, however controversial some might find them.https://t.co/OQNVyYyA6b
— ACLU of Florida (@ACLUFL) March 13, 2025
In a statement, Iman Awad, national director of policy and advocacy at Emgage Action, a national organization that focuses on mobilizing Muslim voters, wrote, "This attempt to punish a cultural institution for showing a documentary is not just an attack on free speech, it is part of a broader pattern of stifling Palestinian advocacy across the country. Miami Beach leaders must be held accountable for their unconstitutional actions."
Local Reaction
Meiner has not commented publicly on the matter since his Tuesday-night newsletter mailout, but his social-media accounts have been inundated with comments. Though some comments are supportive of the mayor's stance, the overall reaction appears to be largely negative."As a Jewish woman I am appalled you are weaponizing antisemitism to not only ban art and squash the spread of information, but destroy a local business?!," wrote one Instagram user, adding, "What you are doing is shameful. This does not represent our values as Jews or our interests as citizens whose freedom of speech is protected in America."
"Do we live in Cuba??," reads another comment. "Last time I checked we’re in America and we can criticize and watch any film we want. We need to start impeachment proceedings!"
New Times has received several emails from Miami Beach residents expressing concern about the mayor's move to cancel the lease.
"For our Mayor to have pressured and attacked an arts institution using his city letterhead and his official position as Mayor is a brazen and dangerous abuse of power," reads one letter, sent by Natalie Kaufman.
Meanwhile, a Reddit post noted that the agenda for the upcoming Miami Beach commission meeting also includes a resolution to lease city-owned space to "an independent bookstore."
"Why would an independent bookstore come to Miami Beach after the O Cinema debacle?" one commenter posited.
"Instead of 'open for business' it’ll be 'open for censorship,'" quipped another.
And a third: "The second they put Fahrenheit 451 on the shelves, they're cooked."
