A group of nearly 70 Palestinian filmmakers — including two-time Oscar nominee Hany Abu Assad and acclaimed director Elia Suleiman — have signed a sharply worded letter accusing Hollywood of “dehumanizing” Palestinians on screen for decades, a factor they say has contributed to the ongoing destruction in Gaza.

The letter — also signed by multiple award winners Michel Khleifi, Mai Masri, Najwa Najjar, Farah Nabulsi and the 22-member slate of directors behind the short film compilation “From Ground Zero,” Palestine’s current Oscar submission — also expressed outrage and what it described as the “inhumanity and racism shown by some in the Western entertainment industry towards our people, even in these most difficult of times.”

The letter marks the first joint initiative by Palestinian filmmakers since the horrific events of October 7, in which the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took over 250 hostages, and the ongoing Israeli retaliation against Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians (according to the Palestinian Health Authority) and led to a humanitarian crisis in the area.

Despite the fierce criticism of Hollywood, the letter does thank the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for “resisting pressure and insisting on freedom of expression” by rejecting attempts to exclude a documentary about Gaza from the 2024 Emmy nominations.