MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner withdrew his controversial proposal to end the lease for the city’s only arthouse following a sometimes contentious and emotional commission meeting, as well as an outpouring of support for the independently run theater.
7News cameras captured a line of ticket holders at the entrance to O Cinema, located on the ground floor of Miami Beach’s Historic City Hall on Washington Avenue, Wednesday evening.
It was a full house for both showings of “No Other Land,” the Oscar-winning documentary at the center of the controversy.
The documentary, made by a team including Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, is said to portray the “destruction of Palestinian villages in the West Bank at the hands of the Israeli military.”
“I’m intrigued, you know. It won an Oscar,” said moviegoer Marcello Galvan.
But this year’s recipient of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature did not win Meiner’s approval. The mayor, who is Jewish, demanded the film be pulled from O Cinema, initially calling its content antisemitic and threatening to cut their lease for playing the film last week to sold-out crowds.
Creatives and members of the filmmaking community made their voices heard during the packed commission meeting at Miami Beach City Hall, Wednesday morning, as city commissioners debated the fate of O Cinema.
Commissioners engaged in heated debate, then opened the floor to remarks from those in attendance. The mayor’s proposal, which garnered national headlines, drew a large crowd, most of whom voiced their opposition.
“The mayor calls the film antisemitic. Nothing is further from the truth,” a woman told commissioners.
Among those who addressed commissioners was Billy Corben, the filmmaker behind South Florida-based documentaries like “Cocaine Cowboys,” “Screwball” and “The U,” as well as a pervasive online presence.
“Mister Mayor, please stop your unwanted advances on the constitutional rights of O Cinema,” he said.
Meiner listened, and on Wednesday afternoon, he officially rescinded his request to shut down and defund O Cinema.
“We need to be mindful of where hate can go and where it can lead to, and that we could keep open-minded perspectives,” he said. “I am going to withdraw C7AA, the revoking of funding for O Cinema.”
The mayor further explained his reasoning behind his proposal, also citing the amount of backlash and hate mail he had received.
“I’m trying not to get emotional, but I legitimately viewed this as a public safety threat,” he said.
Several city commissioners and residents spoke in favor of O Cinema, calling the mayor’s proposal a blatant violation of their First Amendment rights.
“I’m here to protect our freedom of speech,” said Miami Beach resident Charlotte Libov.
“Censoring this film, and threatening to shut down O Cinema, not only stifles free speech, it tells families like my own that their stories don’t matter,” said a woman.
“You call the film hate speech, but it is clear that, for you, all talk about Israel’s crimes is hate speech,” said a man.
Some speakers who tuned in virtually rose to Meiner’s defense, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo.
“We are completely in solidarity with you, Mayor Meiner, in your concerns over what is happening in a public theater,” said Suarez.
But Meiner ultimately withdrew his resolution, deferring an alternative proposal to encourage the theater to show films that show a balanced view of the war in the Middle East.
The mayor’s decision came as a relief for moviegoers who came to see “No Other Land” on Wednesday.
“It’s just good to let people kind of see what these people, the stories they want to tell and let them start their conversations,” said moviegoer Valentina Maldonado.
7News caught up with Libov, who attended one of Wednesday’s showings.
“As a Jewish person, we have a tremendous history of defending the arts, defending culture, defending freedom,” she said.
That’s why, when Libov came to O Cinema Wednesday evening, she wore a pin in support of freedom of speech.
“If you wave the First Amendment at me, you’re waving a flag in front of a bull,” she said.
The mayor ended Wednesday’s commission meeting on a note of unity.
“I overall think this was very positive today. I really do. It’s emotional for me,” he said as some attendees applauded and Commissioners Joseph Magazine and Tanya Katzoff Bhatt put their hands on Meiner’s shoulders. “I just want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, even though some of you said some things [that] were hurtful, I love you all, I really, really do. We’re all Americans, we’re all proud to be in this country, it is a great country, and I really just want what’s best for us — our city and our country and the world. God bless.”
Meiner then invited everyone in attendance to pose for a group picture.
As for Libov, she walked away from the film with a hunger to learn more about the conflict in the Middle East.
“It’s a really hard film, it’s a gripping story, but to say it’s antisemitic, I don’t think that’s fair,” she said.
“No Other Land” ends its run at O Cinema Thursday night with two sold-out shows. The theater is scheduled to open “Magazine Dreams,” a bodybuilding drama starring Jonathan Majors, on Friday.
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