Emmy Award Given to Gazan Filmmaker Allegedly Connected to Palestinian Terror Group

Bisan Owda, a Gazan filmmaker with documented ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, won an Emmy at the 2024 News and Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday. Owda took home the award for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form for her Al Jazeera series, "It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive." The series chronicles her experiences following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

Owda’s past association with the PFLP has been a point of controversy, with the group itself claiming her as a member of its youth wing in 2018. The PFLP, a Marxist-Leninist group listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, has a long history of violent attacks against Israel. In a 2015 interview, Owda wearing military garb and a PFLP scarf reaffirmed her commitment to the Palestinian "revolution."

“The people of Gaza, the people in the West Bank, and in Jerusalem... will not back down at all from their cause and their revolution,” she said in Arabic at a PFLP anniversary event. She later confirmed her attendance at the event in correspondence with Danish outlet B.T., where she acknowledged participating but requested not to be directly quoted.

Despite Owda’s history, over 150 entertainment industry professionals including prominent names like Selma Blair, David Draiman, and Debra Messing signed a letter calling for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to revoke her nomination. The group, Creative Community for Peace, highlighted her ties to the PFLP and expressed concern over her award candidacy.

National Academy President Adam Sharp responded to the concerns, stating that the organization was unable to substantiate claims of Owda’s current involvement with the PFLP, adding that the Academy defers to independent judges in determining winners.

Owda’s Emmy win came on the same night that Itay and Maya Regev, survivors of Hamas captivity, attended the ceremony. The Regev siblings’ harrowing story of being taken hostage and enduring medical procedures without anesthesia is the subject of Yoram Zak’s film "Brother & Sister in Captivity," which was nominated in a different category but did not win.

The controversy surrounding Owda’s Emmy award highlights the ongoing debate over the intersection of art, activism, and terrorism, with many questioning whether figures with such backgrounds should be honored on the global stage.

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