The Disney film "Snow White" is showing at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 15, 2025. (Credit: Valérie Macon/AFP)
Will Snow White, a film starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot be banned in Lebanon? As the global release of the film is set to begin Wednesday, the "Campaign to Boycott Israel's Supporters in Lebanon" has requested for the Economy Ministry's Israel Boycott Office to ban the film’s screening.
The announcement, made in a statement signed by the Lebanese collective along with groups from Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan, was circulated by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). The group points out that Disney is boycotted by several groups worldwide, and that Gadot is a former soldier in the Israeli army. The global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has also called for a boycott of the film.
"This film stars former occupation army soldier Gal Gadot, who has always supported the crimes of the Zionist occupation, including the massacres ongoing for over a year and a half in Gaza, as well as in Lebanon," the group says. The war between Hezbollah and Israel, launched on Oct. 8, 2023, left 4,000 Lebanese killed by 13 months of Israeli strikes.
"Screening this film in Arab cinemas means promoting a company that supports the occupation and participating in the glorification of a former soldier of an army committing the worst crimes against our Arab people," the collective insists.
Release in mid-April?
A source within Grand Cinemas, a company operating theaters in Lebanon, told L'Orient-Le Jour that the film is scheduled for release in mid-April, though they are still waiting for confirmation from distributors. Vox Cinemas, meanwhile, stated that they have "no further information to communicate" regarding the release.
A source within the Economy Ministry, who requested anonymity, said the issue of the film's screening "has not yet been addressed by the competent authorities, who have not yet viewed it," including General Security and the Ministries of Information, Social Affairs, Education, and Economy. "The viewing will take place within 48 to 72 hours," the source assured.
Previous controversies
This is not the first time a film starring Gal Gadot has sparked controversy in Lebanon or the broader Arab world, as the actress completed mandatory military service in the Israeli army. Wonder Woman (2017) was previewed in Lebanon before being banned, as well as in Algeria, Tunisia, and Qatar. Death on the Nile (2022), in which Gadot also starred, faced the same fate in Lebanon, Kuwait, and Tunisia.
During the inauguration of Gadot’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, protests between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators disrupted the ceremony, requiring police intervention.
Some media reports suggest Gadot's positions on the Gaza war may have strained her relationship with her Snow White co-star Rachel Zegler, who has voiced strong support for the Palestinian cause and is among the signatories of Artists4Ceasefire, a petition calling for a permanent Gaza cease-fire.