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Updated with more signatories: Reaction continues to The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech after his film won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film this month.

Some 1,215 Jewish show business professionals now have signed a letter denouncing the filmmaker’s speech, in which he decried the “dehumanization” of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. See the updated full list below.

“We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination,” the letter states (read it in full in full below).

This list includes among its signatories Eli Roth and Amy Sherman-Palladino, Amy Pascal, Debra Messing, Gail Berman, Hawk Koch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gary Barber, Lawrence Bender, Tovah Feldshuh and Rod Lurie.

You can watch Glazer’s speech here,...

Wednesday, Jan. 13 Casting Society of America Opens Membership to Commercial Casting Directors The Casting Society of America announced today that it is now accepting commercial casting directors as part of its organization, and celebrating casting in all forms, including film, television, theatre, short form and now commercials. “Commercial casting directors apply their craft to an impactful form of storytelling, and we know that their insight and experience will add additional depth to Casting Society of America’s membership,” said Zora DeHorter and Caitlin Jones, Vice Presidents of Communications, Csa and Co-Chairs, Commercial Committee. “The artistic merit of our commercial colleagues helps further Csa’s mission to advocate and promote the profession of casting in all of its forms.” The newly formed Commercial Committee includes: Alex Amsellem, Terry Berland, Danielle Demchick, Rikki Gimelstob, Katie Griffin, Sherrie Henderson, Caitlin Jones, Patti Kalles. Rebecca Lagore, Liz Lewis, Angela Mickey, Erica Palgon, Nina Pratt,...

After nearly 40 years, the Casting Society of America is opening its membership to commercial casting directors. Until now, membership was restricted to casting professionals involved in film, television, live theater, reality and short form series.

“Commercial casting directors apply their craft to an impactful form of storytelling, and we know that their insight and experience will add additional depth to Casting Society of America’s membership,” said Zora DeHorter and Caitlin Jones, the Csa’s vice presidents of communications and co-chairs of its newly formed commercial committee. “The artistic merit of our commercial colleagues helps further Csa’s mission to advocate and promote the profession of casting in all of its forms.”

Csa said that its new commercial committee has compiled a database of established commercial casting directors across the country and has begun a targeted outreach to them to invite them to join Society. Part of their outreach includes...