On Hollywood’s biggest night, in front of one of the most exclusive parties of the year was a sobering reminder that 134 hostages remain held by Hamas.
Images of all 134 hostages were being projected on the exterior of a four-story building directly across the street from the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the site of Vanity Fair’s Oscar party.
The projection is the work of film producers Matti Leshem and Lynn Harris (“The Survivor”) who wanted to do something to bring awareness to hostages from Israel being held by Hamas in Gaza for 155 days and counting.
“My wife, Lynn and I have been trying for a long time to figure out something for Oscar night,” Leshem told the Journal. “We were walking our dogs along Santa Monica Boulevard one day and we saw this building and we’re like, ‘oh, that building’s right across the street from the Vanity Fair Party.’’ We cold call to see who owns the building. And it turned out to be the amazing Sean Farr, who is a huge Zionist and a great supporter of Israel.”
Leshem called his friends at a global events company, INVNT and asked if they can help with a massive projection on Oscar night. They offered to do it for no charge. The producers then partnered with the Tel Aviv-based Hostages and Families Forum to create the scrolling slide show of the faces and ages of the hostages.
The Vanity Fair party is where most, if not all of the evening’s Oscar winners go to celebrate. Typically, the first afterparty they attend is the Governor’s Ball in Hollywood before going to the Vanity Fair party later in the evening. This makes Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills one the busiest streets in Los Angeles — and an ample time to bring awareness to the hostages in the most Hollywood way possible — with their names and photos up in lights.
The building where the images of the hostages were projected is at the corner of Canon and Santa Monica. The four story building is approximately 70 feet tall, so the projections could be seen across the L.A. basin for miles.
The logistics of the projection weren’t even complete until late Saturday night. The problem? A technicality in the Beverly Hills city code could have prevented the projection of the hostage images altogether.
“We just had this issue with the Beverly Hills City Council because they really, on a technicality, couldn’t issue a permit to us,” Leshem said. “And I have to say that [Councilmember] Lili Bosse, who is just a champion for Israel, called a special meeting of the city council.”
The last-minute meeting was on Friday, two days before the Academy Awards.
“I made my presentation to [the city council] and there was an hour-and-a-half worth of people calling in support of this project,” Leshem said. “It was incredible seeing democracy at work. And of course the city council unanimously approved the special permit. And so now on Oscar night, which is Hollywood’s most important night, the most important stars in the world are going to be pulling up right across the street. And they’re going to be reminded of our 134 hostages in Gaza, which is what this is about.”
On the north side of the street sits another commemoration to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks, approximately 1400 flags representing the nationality everyone murdered on that day. Between the Vanity Fair party, the building with the projections and the flag display, about two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters jeered the memorials.
As the limousines and Escalades pulled up to the Vanity Fair party, it was nearly impossible for some of the most influential entertainers — Jewish and non-Jewish — not to pause for a moment to remember the hostages in captive Gaza.
As a filmmaker, Leshem knew this is the right time and place to bring awareness to audiences beyond the Jewish community.
“My experience is that non-Jewish audiences are very interested in the Jewish experience and they should be very interested in what’s happening in Israel today. And they should be very interested in the plight of the hostages. Everyone should be demanding from their congressmen and their senators that America step in and put pressure in Hamas to release the hostages. That’s what this is about.”
