Tzur, whose son Assaf was murdered in a bus bombing exactly three years prior to the March 5th Oscar ceremony, had written a heartfelt plea that started a petition which was hand-delivered to the Academy. The petition is still active and 38,310 people had signed as of 7 PM Sunday.
The film in question, Paradise Now, tells the story of two Palestinian Authority Arabs who are presented as very "human" characters even though they are sent on a suicide bombing mission in an Israeli city. It received the Golden Globe Award from foreign correspondents in Hollywood for Best Foreign Film, and it was feared that it would win the parallel award in the Oscars.
"After finding out that the movie was going to be nominated for the Oscar at the end of January, we started a petition calling to revoke the nomination," Tzur told Israel National Radio.
Cohn wrote to Tzur that although he was saddened by both Tzur's loss and by the message of Paradise now, "As an Academy member of many decades, and a six-time Academy Award-winning producer, I feel it is my solemn duty to respond to the petition, which, although certainly well intentioned, is misguided."
"I completely agree that the film is dangerous," Cohn wrote, "because it can be conceived as providing comfort and sympathy for murderers, whom the film presents as freedom fighters. I want to clarify, however, the Academy has never involved itself in questioning or rebuffing the contents of those films nominated for Best Foreign Film. It has always been the position of the president and the board of governors of the Academy that it is up to the members of the Academy to evaluate the quality, or lack thereof, of each film considered for a nomination."
Cohn argued that the Academy's 5,798 voting members have, "apart from honoring various legendary films combating against anti-Semitism – [...] significantly helped increase understanding and awareness of the most profound of human tragedies: the Holocaust."
By awarding sometimes-obscure Holocaust films the Oscar, Cohn posited - such as his own production, The Garden of the Finzi-Contini - millions worldwide were exposed to the tragedy of Hitler's bid to rid the world of Jews. "The [film] was turned down by thirty-one distributors around the world, including nine in the United States," Cohn wrote. "It was only as a result of the Oscar that this film received worldwide distribution and was seen by millions in countries around the world, many of whom never knew about the great tragedy of the Holocaust."
Cohn also attributes the German government's agreement to compensate the families of the eleven Israeli athletes murdered during the Munich Olympics to the Academy's awarding of his documentary One Day in September. Until then, the Germans had rigidly refused for 28 years.
"I could give countless further examples that show why the honorable institution of the Academy deserves our support and gratitude," writes Cohn, summing up. "I believe that to have the Academy censor films based on their content and message would only serve to weaken this institution, which has flourished on the principles of freedom of expression and on a profound belief in the integrity of its members to vote and decide what films are truly deserving of recognition."
Click here to read the full text of Cohn's letter
Paradise Now did not receive the Oscar for which it was nominated, and those behind the petition are at least partially satisfied. "Even though we thought that revoking the nomination [would be] a stronger message, we are pleased," read an updated message on the petition site following the Oscars. The site also thanked Joan Gatewood for taking the initiative to launch the online petition on Tzur's behalf.
Meanwhile, the Tzurs marked another year without their son. Tzur had told Israel National Radio that the film does not qualify as art, but rather is pure propaganda, showing the romantic idealism of a terrorist while fading to white in the last scene rather than show viewers the grisly horror of the actual scene.
"The movie ends with one [terrorist] going back and one going ahead with the attack," Tzur said, giving away the ending to the film. "We see [the terrorist] sitting on a city bus in Tel Aviv. The camera closes in on his face, his eyes. Then there is a big white screen, which, I suppose, is meant to leave the viewer with thoughts of whether this act took place or not. But we know how these scenes end and we actually experienced the end of the movie and the horrors that come with it. I think the movie is unrealistic in many ways. The director didn’t want to go and show what the results of those actions are."