Israel-Hamas: Local TV Productions On Hold & Cinemas Remain Closed As Conflict Enters Third Day
09.10.2023 - 16:25
/ deadline.com
All local Israeli TV productions, excluding broadcasts providing news updates, have been placed on hold following a directive from the Israeli army as the bloody conflict between the country and Hamas fighters heads into a third day.
Working under a similar official directive, theater owners across Israel have shut their doors. Cinemas halted operations on Saturday, the first day of the conflict. A senior Israeli exhibition exec told Deadline that he expects theaters to remain closed “until further notice.”
Israel formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday after its fighters launched an unexpected attack that has so far killed more than 700 people in Israel, according to local officials. In response, Israel launched a series of air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Palestinian health officials have reported more than 400 casualties, including 20 children. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that he has ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza strip, including the restriction of all electricity, food, and fuel to the area.
Much uncertainty remains on the exact conditions on the ground and how the weekend’s violence will affect the lives of citizens across the region.
“Everything has stopped for the moment,” one TV producer with knowledge of the scene on the ground across Israel told Deadline. “People are involved in the current events. Unfortunately no time for filming.”
Earlier today, it was reported that Gaia Tridente, director of Rome-based TV market MIA, said industry professionals from Israel, including Where Is Anne Frank filmmaker Ari Folman, were unable to attend the annual event due to the conflict.
On Saturday, Live Nation Israel canceled a planned Bruno Mars concert in Tel Aviv. In a