Award-winning Hungarian film director László Nemes has spoken out about what he believes is a growing wave of antisemitism in Western culture and the film industry. In a wide-ranging interview, the director of the Holocaust drama Son of Saul criticized parts of Hollywood and accused many public figures of hypocrisy over the war in Gaza and attitudes toward Jewish stories. Nemes said he believes films with Jewish themes now face growing resistance in the entertainment industry. He claimed his Oscar-winning movie might not receive the same support if released today. “I don’t even think it would make the shortlist today,” Nemes said while discussing the Academy Awards. He argued that cinema has become highly politicized and that projects linked to Jewish identity are often avoided. Released in 2015, Son of Saul became one of the most praised Holocaust films of recent decades. The movie follows a Jewish prisoner forced to work in the gas chambers at Auschwitz during World War II. The film earned major international awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Nemes is now promoting his latest movie, Orphan, which explores family trauma, identity, and the long shadow of the Holocaust. The film is deeply personal for the director. It is based closely on the life of his father, András Nemes, who survived the Holocaust as a child in Hungary. According to Nemes, his father spent years believing another man was his real father before learning painful truths about his family history after the war. The director said the film reflects his own attempt to understand trauma passed from one generation to another. Nemes explained that his grandmother survived the Holocaust under terrible conditions. He said those experiences left emotional scars across the family for decades. The director also spoke about modern Europe and how the Holocaust is remembered today. He argued that many people still fail to fully understand the suffering Jewish families experienced during and after World War II. “I don’t think the experience of the Holocaust was integrated into the fabric of Europe,” Nemes said. He added that while there may be shame about the past, there is often little deeper understanding. Much of the interview focused on reactions to the war in Gaza and growing divisions inside the entertainment world. Nemes criticized actors, filmmakers, and celebrities who support cultural boycotts of Israel. He argued that some public figures speak loudly about Israel while staying silent about conflicts and humanitarian disasters in other countries. Nemes pointed to wars in Syria and Yemen as examples. He questioned why many celebrities did not show the same level of activism during those crises. The director also accused parts of Hollywood of promoting what he described as moral superiority and political pressure. He said some artists feel forced to follow popular opinions to protect their careers. According to Nemes, many people inside the film industry are afraid to speak openly because they fear backlash or losing opportunities. He also criticized social media culture and identity politics. He said modern debates often divide people into simple categories of good and bad instead of recognizing human complexity. Nemes argued that this environment has helped antisemitism spread more openly in parts of Western society. He warned that Jews are again being treated as internal enemies by some political movements. The filmmaker also commented on Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest. Glazer faced strong reactions after linking the Holocaust and the Gaza conflict during an Oscar acceptance speech earlier this year. While Nemes praised Glazer’s film, he criticized the speech itself. He said filmmakers who work on Holocaust stories carry a special responsibility when discussing such topics publicly. Nemes argued that many public statements from celebrities oversimplify a very complex conflict. He also said wealthy figures in Hollywood should avoid lecturing ordinary people about morality. The interview also touched on politics in Hungary. Nemes recently described political changes in his home country as hopeful and compared them to historic democratic movements in Europe. Despite his criticism of modern culture and politics, Nemes said he still believes periods of crisis can create opportunities for change and renewal. His latest film, Moulin, about French resistance leader Jean Moulin, was recently selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Nemes said his work often focuses on painful truths because people cannot escape the darker parts of history or themselves. He believes societies must confront difficult realities honestly rather than ignore them.