Late Thursday evening, a spokesperson from the Academy Museum announced the postponement of the organization’s annual fundraising gala, originally scheduled for Saturday, October 14. This decision was made in response to the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict.
In their statement, the Academy expressed, “Out of respect for the devastating conflict and loss of life occurring overseas, we have chosen to postpone the Academy Museum gala slated for this Saturday. We anticipate rescheduling it for a later date and extend our sincere gratitude for everyone’s support.”
Earlier in the day, the Academy had already canceled the red carpet event planned for the gala.
The Academy Museum has now opted to forgo a red carpet event preceding its annual fundraising gala “in light of the devastating conflict and loss of life” amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Nevertheless, the gala itself is still set to proceed on Saturday evening, without formal press coverage of arrivals beforehand.
This decision was communicated by the Academy Museum in a statement addressed to the red carpet press members. The statement underscored the Academy Museum’s condemnation of all forms of hate and cruelty and expressed solidarity with the innocent lives affected by the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine. The organization cited the “devastating conflict and loss of life” as the reason for canceling the red carpet at the annual fundraising gala on October 14.
It’s worth noting that the gala has been moving forward despite ongoing tensions in Hollywood due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. This strike will continue in the coming weeks after negotiations between the guild and major studios collapsed on Wednesday evening. The Academy Museum Gala had received the green light to proceed from both the then-striking WGA and the actors’ guild in August.
The gala would have represented one of the rare major red carpet events featuring screen actors since the onset of the SAG-AFTRA strike in July. This year’s honorees included esteemed individuals such as Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Sofia Coppola. The guest list also featured prominent figures like Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Goldie Hawn, and more.
On Saturday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas initiated a significant attack on Israel, resulting in over 1,000 casualties and the capture of at least 100 hostages. In response, the Israeli government cut off electricity and water supplies to Gaza’s population and launched airstrikes in the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant characterized the situation by saying, “We are fighting against human animals” and called for a “complete siege” on Gaza. As of Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll had risen to 1,417 people due to Israel’s military response.
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